Devon Dotson NBA Draft Predictions

Sophomore Kansas guard Devon Dotson declared for the NBA Draft on Monday. While the actual draft itself may yet be altered in the likely event coronavirus restrictions remain in place through the scheduled date, Dotson should hear his name in some capacity during the first round of a draft where there are very few sure things.

Where could Dotson end up? Let's break it down.

Devon Dotson NBA Draft Predictions

Dotson has the makings of a solid backup point guard who could become a starter, dependent on growth in key areas. He's a good athlete who can get by his man and create for others while running the offense. He averaged 18 points and four assists per game his final year at Kansas. He's also a fierce defender who can regularly be spotted hounding the opposing point guard and managed to rack up just a hair over two steals per game in 2019-20. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Dotson can handle any PG assignment defensively and demonstrated the savviness required to guard bigger opponents if the need arises.

However, the biggest hole in Dotson's game is his three-point shooting. He hit only 30 percent of his attempts from deep last season. He did shoot 36 percent in his freshman season, but on nearly half the attempts in his sophomore season (2.5 in 2018-19 vs. 4.1 in 2019-20). As a career 80 percent free-throw shooter, Dotson has touch. But in order to be an effective guard in today's game, he needs to hit three-pointers and hit them at volume. He's a good defender but not a game-changing one, and his turnover-to-assist ratio doesn't indicate he'll be a high-level operator of the offense. Thus, he'll need to improve his three-point shot to consistently provide value.

Ultimately, Dotson has a reasonably high floor but not a terribly high ceiling. It will take a while for him to adjust to finishing inside at the highest level since he's not a good enough athlete to go through or above the defenders. But he should be able to come in and provide some defensive effort with enough shooting chops to survive, even if he's still a year or two away from being the sixth or seventh man on an NBA bench. Toronto might be the best place for him as a late first-round destination if they fear they'll lose Fred VanVleet.

Devon Dotson Highlights

Doston did have a good highlight reel in his two years at Kansas, though. You can see the quickness and nose for the ball. There's an NBA player here. He just needs to improve in two or three areas to become a name people know.