• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Damyean Dotson Welcoming Committee

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Pretty solid breakdown from just watching highlights/looking at stats.... Just to clarify 2 things from watching him the past few years:

1. The mid range jump shots were a product of the Knicks inefficient system. He certainly does not actively look for mid range shots. I would actually suspect his lower FG% is more of a product of needing to finish stronger around the basket, which I would also guess is needing to get physically stronger.

2. "But I wasn't impressed that he didn't have the burst to blow by a 6'8" slow European guy." He's actually a very explosive athlete, but this comment doesn't surprise me as he's not yet explosive with the ball in his hands. I made the reference to how he beat blazer Dennis Smith JR in a foot race, but he can't hold a candle to DSJ with a ball in his hands.

His two biggest areas of growth are definitely strength/finishing around the rim, and ball handling

What I saw was a ton of contested mid-range jump shots which is the last shot you want your team to take. That's what got Sexton into a lot of trouble before he got the message that everything is either a layup or a 3-pointer. But OTOH, DeMar DeRozan has made a pretty decent career out of that contested 15-footer, so if you can make a high percentage of them....

I have to believe that tenacious perimeter defense is what attracted the Cavs, just like with Okoro. If he's holding opposing shooters to 38% he'll be our best defender right from Day 1 and it won't be close. Still, on a team with Sexton, Garland, Porter, Dellavedova, and Exum how many minutes is he going to get?

I like the fact that he had a positive +/- on one of the worst teams in basketball. His numbers suggest he's a better rebounder than most shooting guards. So...defense, rebounding, 3-point shooting - not a bad skill set.

On the highlight video I did notice that he was jacking up contested shots with an open teammate standing at the 3-point line. Maybe the shot clock was expiring in some cases. He seems like a good guy to have on the court with the shot clock expiring because he has a high arching shot that he can get off even with a bigger defender in his face and it doesn't appear to phase him - he keeps his form and the shot goes down. KPJ is another guy you can go to with three seconds on the clock and let him make a move and score one-on-one.

I'm wondering how explosive his first step is and how he finishes at the rim. This might be the first NBA highlight film I've seen without a single dunk. But there's nothing wrong with shouldering your way to the rim and creating enough separation to spin it in off the glass. You get two points just the same as a dunk.

There was one play where he was one-on-one against Cedi Osman, who we know is one of the worst defenders in the league. Dotson drove right but Cedi stayed with him and was right there to contest the layup, which Dotson made by banking it high off the glass. It was a really tough shot. But I wasn't impressed that he didn't have the burst to blow by a 6'8" slow European guy.

Anyway, good to hear he's unselfish offensively, is a good 3-point shooter, and plays mad dog defense. I can see why the Cavs pursued him but why would a guy looking for more minutes sign with a team that has three talented young guards who they are committed to developing?

I'll say this - with the addition of Okoro and Dotson plus Delly coming back there is going to be some very tough defense being played on the perimeter at Cavs' practices. These guys will make Sexton, Garland, and Porter really have to work for their buckets and push them to a higher level offensively. I read that Delly frustrated Kyrie at practices because he played him so tough defensively. The competition for playing time is going to be cutthroat. It will force everybody to up their games.

It also provides the Cavs some insurance if Porter goes off the rails. In fact, this signing might in part be a message; better stay between the lines because if you screw up we have somebody ready to step in.

It will also give JBB the option of using Dotson in the final minute when the Cavs need a stop and a rebound coming out of a time out. Once they get the stop they'll also have a solid 3-point shooter on the floor.

It will be interesting to see how many minutes he can force JBB to give him given the committment to the three young guards they already have.

Between Okoro, Dotson, and McGee the Cavs just added the two things they needed most; perimeter defense and rim protection. Like JBB said, it's a perimeter league. Only four out of 30 teams have a center or power forward who is their leading scorer. You need guys who can defend wings.
 
Pretty solid breakdown from just watching highlights/looking at stats.... Just to clarify 2 things from watching him the past few years:

1. The mid range jump shots were a product of the Knicks inefficient system. He certainly does not actively look for mid range shots. I would actually suspect his lower FG% is more of a product of needing to finish stronger around the basket, which I would also guess is needing to get physically stronger.

2. "But I wasn't impressed that he didn't have the burst to blow by a 6'8" slow European guy." He's actually a very explosive athlete, but this comment doesn't surprise me as he's not yet explosive with the ball in his hands. I made the reference to how he beat blazer Dennis Smith JR in a foot race, but he can't hold a candle to DSJ with a ball in his hands.

His two biggest areas of growth are definitely strength/finishing around the rim, and ball handling

Point #2- Learning to use what you have. The Cavs had a super athlete in Christian Eyenga who NEVER learned what was possible for him.

That being stated, Dotson is a guy who will grind and work on his game. Signing hungry guys who fit roles (especially defensively) isn't a bad thing. Add into the fact he seems to be able to make shots from the perimeter and it can be beneficial for us. We as fan's sometimes get locked it what "things should be". We still have some REAL young guys who we are unsure about. A guy like this makes serious sense.
 
Two GOOD MOVES IF YOU CAN PLAY IN LA AND NEW YORK You CAN MAKE IT HERE THE BEST TWO MOVE THE CAVS HAVE MADE IN THE LAST 3 YEARS in trade and free agents AND THEY DIDNOT HAVE TO SALE THE BARN.
 
Two GOOD MOVES IF YOU CAN PLAY IN LA AND NEW YORK You CAN MAKE IT HERE THE BEST TWO MOVE THE CAVS HAVE MADE IN THE LAST 3 YEARS in trade and free agents AND THEY DIDNOT HAVE TO SALE THE BARN.

ElderlyThoroughHerald-small.gif
 
Pretty solid breakdown from just watching highlights/looking at stats.... Just to clarify 2 things from watching him the past few years:

1. The mid range jump shots were a product of the Knicks inefficient system. He certainly does not actively look for mid range shots. I would actually suspect his lower FG% is more of a product of needing to finish stronger around the basket, which I would also guess is needing to get physically stronger.

2. "But I wasn't impressed that he didn't have the burst to blow by a 6'8" slow European guy." He's actually a very explosive athlete, but this comment doesn't surprise me as he's not yet explosive with the ball in his hands. I made the reference to how he beat blazer Dennis Smith JR in a foot race, but he can't hold a candle to DSJ with a ball in his hands.

His two biggest areas of growth are definitely strength/finishing around the rim, and ball handling
Hey, Hutch, thanks for the report on Dotson. If you like him I'm sure we'll like him.

Dotson kind of reminds me of former Cav David Nwaba, based on Hutch's description plus the stats. Nwaba was a 6'5", 219 pound shooting guard who came off the bench to provide mostly hustle and defense. I really liked his game. In his one year with the Cavs (two years ago) he averaged 19 minutes and shot 48.1% overall and 32% on 3's. He's not quite the 3-point shooter Dotson is but his overall shooting percentage is considerably higher mainly because Nwaba could finish at the rim. He could really muscle his way to the bucket and finish with contact.

Last near Nwaba signed with the Nets and averaged 52.1% from the field and 42.9% on 3's in 20 games before rupturing his Achilles. I think he's a free agent. Dotson seems like a similar player; slimmer and a better shooter but not as strong finishing in traffic.

If Dotson is really a blue streak getting down the floor like Hutch claims we should have a lot of fun watching him and Sexton get after it in transition.
 
Really?

There were allegations and he was never charged. Doesn't really seem necessary to bring up if there's no charges and the case has been completely dismissed.

You wanna talk about the Duke Lacrosse team too?

Point taken, but he apologized to the victim. Said he would never want that for his sister or mom. That is weird thing to do if you didn't do anything wrong.

I know a few women who have been assaulted. Only one ended up going to court and they tore her apart on the stand. When the verdict came down, he was guilty and got probation only for raping my friend while she was asleep. Rape is the least prosecuted violent crime there is. I've seen too much to casually dismiss it as probably "duke lacross team". The only thing rarer than successful prosecutions are false accusations.

This guy is not going to make our team special. I don't care to have him around the team like I don't want Kendrick Nunn.
 
Point taken, but he apologized to the victim. Said he would never want that for his sister or mom. That is weird thing to do if you didn't do anything wrong.

I know a few women who have been assaulted. Only one ended up going to court and they tore her apart on the stand. When the verdict came down, he was guilty and got probation only for raping my friend while she was asleep. Rape is the least prosecuted violent crime there is. I've seen too much to casually dismiss it as probably "duke lacross team". The only thing rarer than successful prosecutions are false accusations.

This guy is not going to make our team special. I don't care to have him around the team like I don't want Kendrick Nunn.

I work in mental health with college students, and unfortunately have plenty of experience working with survivors of rape and sexual assault. By far, most survivors never even report it (and even rarer - take it to court), due to fear and trauma. And those that do, often regret it, because they re-trigger their trauma over and over, and rarely is there an outcome in their favor.
 
I work in mental health with college students, and unfortunately have plenty of experience working with survivors of rape and sexual assault. By far, most survivors never even report it (and even rarer - take it to court), due to fear and trauma. And those that do, often regret it, because they re-trigger their trauma over and over, and rarely is there an outcome in their favor.

Exactly. It isn't worth the additional trauma to get a non-resolution.
 
Check this out. This is a perfect 1 game clip that I feel like highlights all his potential just in regards to his shooting game alone.

1. Dribble pulls up over heavily contested Caruso
2. Beautiful dribble step-back from downtown all over LBJs grill
3. Curry like bomb off the dribble because he's got unlimited range (look at the bench's reaction as the balls in the air. That should tell you something by itself. They've seen this dude light it up in practice, and they're pumped he's showing it in the game playing confidently. This was not a common shot by Dotson at the time. He usually never played that boldly because he was too unselfish)
4. Hustle play and extremely high IQ to tap it to himself transitioning seamlessly into a step-back corner 3
5. Very slight pump fake that disrupted a big time shot blocker, then buries it in his face
6. Wide open spot up 3..... If thats your role you gotta hit these shots. Nylon


It's games like this that just made me lose my mind thinking of the possibilities. Lol no joke one of the biggest reasons I was devastated we didn't get KD is because I knew he was going to open up so much space for Dot to just start going off.
 
Another thing I like is he takes care of the ball. His turnover rate is in the 95th percentile.

His points per shot attempt is only in the 36th percentile but his assist to usage ratio is in the 62nd percentile, meaning he's a little better than average passer.

His on/off numbers for last year show the Knicks were a better defensive team when he was on the floor but a worse offensive team. He's only a 42% shooter.

When Dotson was in the game last year the Knicks' 3-point shot attempts increased by 6.2%, putting him in the 97th percentile in this category. IOW, when Dotson came in it started raining threes. OTOH, the Knicks' percentage of shots at the rim declined 6.4%, putting him in the lowest 1% in this category. So when Dotson came in the team's percentage of layups and dunks plunged while the three-point shots exploded. The long, mid-range shots also increased. This guy plays defense, is a willing passer, rebounds well for his position, and shoots jumpers, but that seems to be almost all of his game.
 
When Dotson was in the game last year the Knicks' 3-point shot attempts increased by 6.2%, putting him in the 97th percentile in this category. IOW, when Dotson came in it started raining threes. OTOH, the Knicks' percentage of shots at the rim declined 6.4%, putting him in the lowest 1% in this category. So when Dotson came in the team's percentage of layups and dunks plunged while the three-point shots exploded. The long, mid-range shots also increased. This guy plays defense, is a willing passer, rebounds well for his position, and shoots jumpers, but that seems to be almost all of his game.

That's a whole lot of Aaron Afflalo. I'd be interested to hear from some of our Knicks fans about that comparison @ACisKING and @dhutch307
 
Wow. Non-guaranteed year two. That almost guarantees he's a candidate to be traded. But, TBH, after watching and hearing about him, I hope he fits in and becomes part of the rotation. Maybe even extended.
 
84% of shot attempts in college were jumpers. Doesn’t look like that’s changed.
 
Seems as simple as this:

If he hits 36%+ from 3P, doesn’t overdribbles/stifle ball movement, hustles on both ends, and communicates on defense, he’ll end up playing some useful minutes and occasionally having an impact.

If he can’t hit an efficient rate on 3P or sees this as an opportunity to break, become a hero, go into Clarkson mode, or be lazy, he’ll be sitting on the end of the bench until he’s traded or released.
 

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-13: "Backup Bash Brothers"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:11: "Clipping Bucks."
Top