Dotson underwent surgery to repair a torn lip in his shoulder a few months before the start of the training camp for the 2019-2020 season. So he didn’t play in the preseason because he was still recovering. Optimists thought he was just paying attention and wanted to be 100% before adapting. Knicks fans feared this was all an omen for something horrible.
Dotson has not played in four of the first six games of the regular season. Then David Fizdale politely gave him a few minutes, bringing Dotson to the ground for about 14 minutes in three games. Subsequently, he played at least 15 minutes per game consistently for a few weeks and had some decent games, but his shooting rates have decreased and his overall stats have been reduced.
When Fizdale was fired in December, Mike Miller took his cloak and continued to give Dotson talkers. Despite some extraordinary efforts – 19 points out of 7-13 by shooting in a 6 point loss against the Washington Wizards, 17 points out of 6-14 by shooting in an 8 point loss against the Los Angeles Lakers and 21 points out of 7-10 shots in a 6 point loss against the Toronto Raptors – Dotson’s third season was a disappointment.
Overall, Dotson’s minutes went from 27 per game last year to 17 this year. He played less than 10 minutes 12 times. His stats showed a similar drop, with Dot ending the season on average just under 7 points per game (41% from the field, 36% from deep), plus 2 rebounds and 1 assists.
In a piece in the late March of the New York Post entitled “Why the future of Damyean Dotson with Knicks is uncertain”, Marc Berman reported that Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors “should show some interest in Dotson”.
You might think it would mean something when strong organizations with a lot of recent playoff history have an interest in poaching one of your young players. But we really don’t have a clue what Rose of Dotson thinks, who wasn’t among the young players mentioned by the new team president when he recently released his first public interview.
Dotson regressed in the third year, but didn’t exactly have a great hand. It has already shown the potential to be a valuable contribution when placed in the right situation, and at 6’5 “, £ 210, it fits the prototype for a modern NBA role player. But it may have already missed the chance to prove its worth to the people who now run the Knicks.
If he is not detained, it is hoped that Dotson will arrive in a good team where he can have a long and fruitful career. Knicks fans can cheer on him from afar and enjoy his achievements without feeling intense despair when he fights. Or you can treat it as if it had never been on the Knicks. To each his own.