New York Knicks: 5 Goals for Damyean Dotson’s rookie year
By Randy Porga
No.2 Becoming a reliable lockdown defender
Now that we know Damyean Dotson has all the right tools to be successful on offense, what about on the defensive end?
Well, he looks just about as well-rounded on defense as he does anywhere else, another facet the New York Knicks need as desperately as anything else.
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Last season of all starter and bench players that were guards, Dotson finished with a negative defensive plus/minus. Hopefully, Dotson can break the trend currently plaguing the Knicks.
He uses his size to his advantage on both ends of the court, especially on defense. His high motor is evident from his senior year, averaging an exhausting 34.3 minutes per game. He shuffles his feet while being able to sit low in a stance, using his length to contest.
While he may not block many shots or protect the rim the best, he does show the ability to cause some turnovers. He improved to 0.9 steals per game his senior year, which does need development although the ability is there.
Just like many facets of his game, he found a way to even improve his defensive rebounding over four years. As a freshman, he went from a 12.1 defensive rebound percentage all the way to 18.1 percent to close out his senior year.
As a second round pick in this years draft, Dotson is equipped with all the right tools, mentality and fundamentals to stand out in the Knicks rotation.