- The New York Knicks have filled a key whole in their rotation and they did it without taking major risks.
With star Kristaps Porzingis potentially out for the season, the minutes on the New York Knicks have been up for the taking. We’ve seen guys like Noah Vonleh and Mario Hezonja finally look like reliable players. Those two have gone from busts to players of noteworthy production.
There are two other players who’ve shown the ability to be long-term players on the Knicks team and, with their emergence, the Knicks have quietly found their backcourt of the future.
Damyean Dotson was seen as a reliable scoring heading into the pros. At Oregon and Houston U. he showed the ability to be a team’s focal point on offense, including finding a variety of ways to generate points from the two-guard spot.
Courtesy: Elite Sports NY
Selected in the 2nd Round of the 2017 NBA Draft, Dotson has shown skeptics that he should have been chosen higher–especially in terms of the improvement he has shown from his rookie season in the league. He’s shooting an astounding four more threes per game and is hitting them at a 5% higher clip than last year (37.5%).
He has shown that he’s a capable scorer and is also able to defend both guard positions with effectiveness.
It all adds up to this: Dotson looks to be a great complement to the Knicks’ offensive leader: Tim Hardaway Jr. Dotson is able to catch the ball off screens and could be the team’s second ball handler–if he continues to craft his game.
The other player worth mentioning is former Arizona guard Allonzo Trier. Trier has been in and out of the spotlight throughout his playing career. He was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and was ranked #1 in the state of Washington–ahead of current San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray.
Courtesy: Newsday
But Trier’s big problem was staying the spotlight, largely because other Wildcats got so much attention. Big man Deandre Ayton and Lauri Markkanen gabbed media attention even though Trier was an excellent college player. During his three years in Tucson, Trier averaged 16.8 points, 3 assists, and three rebounds per game, and was the team’s second option on offense.
Luckily for Trier, the Knicks took a chance, signing him during the 2018 offseason as an undrafted free agent.
Trier signing is paying off. He has the ability score in the paint and his iso game has gotten to the point that he’s often called “Iso Zo.” HIs weapons include creating mismatches one-on-one and finding ways to blowby/create separation for his jumper.
I’m on board the Trier hype train! He’s versatile, reliable, and is developing his playmaking ability. I believe that he can (and frankly should) overtake Knicks current starting guard, Frank Nkilikina, who’s a catch-and-shoot scorer. Trier has a can-do attitude plus the overall aggression that has been missing in NY’s backcourt since the days of Stephon Marbury.
Dotson and Trier offer evidence that we shouldn’t be so quick to criticize the Knicks’ scouting department–even though it has made some questionable calls decisions over the years (e.g., drafting Jordan Hill in 2009 Draft ahead of DeMar DeRozan and Taj Gibson).
Perhaps it’s time to rewrite that narrative. These two have the potential to be contributors with impact.
