Devon Dotson was outstanding for the Kansas Jayhawks in his two campaigns. He took the reins as the lead guard from Frank Mason and never looked back. That can be a tough task, especially in a place like Lawrence, but he handled it well.
Devon Dotson 2020 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Dotson escaped North Carolina for another blue blood. Typically, young guards have some really poor performances while they adjust to their role, but that was not the case for Dotson. He averaged 14.9 points, 3.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game for his career. He definitely performed beyond expectations.
Kansas was a perennial top ten team during Dotson’s run as a lead guard. While they did not win a national championship, Dotson achieved several individual honors. He was named an All-American this year for the first time, as well as being named to the All-Big 12 team twice.
Strengths
Dotson is elite off the dribble. He is extremely fast and athletic. Dotson is able to get past defenders and into the lane, creating easy opportunities for him and his teammates. He excels in transition because he can use his speed to create awful situations for the defense.
He also has a high basketball IQ, which makes him a solid playmaker. At Kansas, he understood that his job was to feed the ball to Udoka Azubuike and he found ways to do that. Point guards are responsible for moving the ball and helping initiate offense. Dotson seemed to understand that more as his career progressed.
Lastly, Dotson is an above-average defender. He uses his lateral quickness to stay in front of point guards and can hound them. That is how he created 2.1 steals per game this season. His on-ball pressure will be very helpful for an NBA defense.
Weaknesses
The major concern for Dotson is his three-point shooting. He averaged 33 percent for his career on three attempts per game. Unfortunately, his numbers declined this season, as he made just 31 percent on four attempts per game. Most point guards in today’s game are very good shooters or very good defenders. So, unless Dotson improves his jumper, he will need to hang his hat on defense. Dotson is a decent free-throw shooter, so there is hope for his jump shot.
The other concern with Dotson is he only plays at one speed, fast. Sometimes, he can get out of control because he is going so fast which leads to poor shots or turnovers. He definitely improved with this throughout the year. However, he did struggle in the opening game against Duke where he recorded six turnovers. As he continues to learn how to use his speed more effectively, he will become even harder to guard.
NBA Player Comparison
Monte Morris. Morris is very athletic and super quick. He is built similar to Dotson and they both use their athleticism well. Both can improve their range but are serviceable back-up point guards in the NBA.
NBA Draft Projection
Late first.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
