The Minnesota Timberwolves hold three selections in the 2020 NBA Draft. Devon Dotson may be in consideration for two of those selections.
The Minnesota Timberwolves need help all over their roster, mainly filling in key pieces of their rotation. Having another guard that can contribute both scoring and defensively would help the Timberwolves tremendously.
Devon Dotson, Kansas sophomore and second-team All-American, is an extremely quick guard that can score in a variety of ways due to his great handle and speed. Dotson plays tough on-ball defense despite his size, and projects to be a Fred VanVleet-type player.
Though Dotson struggled from long range this past season, his 83-percent FT-rate indicates he has long-term upside from beyond the arc. It is somewhat concerning that his 3-point shot dropped roughly six percent from his freshman to sophomore season. At only six-foot-3, he is going to have to become a consistent and reliable shooter in order to become a core piece to any NBA franchise.
Dotson is also a skilled playmaker. He may not average six-plus assists like LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton, but he does enough to where he can create for a unit of players, especially in an NBA setting.
In transition, Dotson is explosive in his ability to get to the basket, at least in college. He needs to continue to fill out his 185-pound frame if he wants to continue to be effective at the next level. Dotson can create seperation on shots with great footwork and a variety of moves. He should be able to at least score in the paint in the NBA.
Dotson also needs to improve his shot selection. He can be caught being a ‘black-hole’ on offense, often creating unforced errors for his team. This may be easy to fix though, as most rookies become more passive when they enter the league.
Fit on the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves should be searching for players that mesh well with D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. Dotson would be a solid player next to Russell simply because he is not a disaster on defense. That said, he also would not be able to guard any shooting guards due to his size and weight. Russell would have to take on that assignment. Ideally you would want someone that can take the toughest defensive assignment off of Russell, and Dotson can only do that in some cases.
Dotson’s speed and interior scoring make him a solid player in the pick-and-roll game, especially when paired with Towns’ outside shooting ability. It is not known whether Dotson will be a viable off-ball player offensively, but again, his shooting will likely have to improve in order for him to do so.
Dotson is a score-first guard that can come off of the bench and be a microwave scorer. His defense makes him playable in the backcourt next to Russell and he would be a nice compliment to Malik Beasley, Josh Okogie, and Jarrett Culver. Dotson is a two-way player, something that the Timberwolves simply do not have many of.