Cavs: 2 goals for Damyean Dotson for next season

Damyean Dotson was a good depth signing by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers recently acquired Damyean Dotson via unrestricted free agency on a two-year deal for $4 million, of which the second season is non-guaranteed.

Dotson was unrestricted due to the New York Knicks not extending him a qualifying offer, but this looks to have a quality signing for Cleveland.

He is joining an already crowded backcourt/perimeter player rotation, but is young and shows potential to score.

So what are a few goals for Dotson, feasibly, for next season, then?

I’ll suggest two goals for Dotson for the Cavs for next season.

The first has to do with his shooting.

#1: Be a consistent shooter off the bench for the Cavs

As I already mentioned and Dan Gilinsky of KJG previously pointed out, Dotson does not need to be an on-ball scorer much with the Cavs. They have used a lot of recent draft picks on players at the guard positions who can already score with the ball.

Finding playing time in the rotation could be tricky, but there is still an opportunity. Dotson’s ability to become a reliable shooter from deep could bring great value.

He has a career average of 36.1 percent from three-point range and shot 36.2 percent last season with New York, of which only three Cavaliers that were regular contributors for most of the season, based on appearances and attempts, were able to do in 2019-20.

This could be a great fit for the guards to handle the ball and kick it out to him or draw attention off of other players just by being a potent shooter.

Being consistent off catch-and-shoot opportunities could earn him minutes off the bench, seemingly at the 2/3, and help stretch the floor for the Cavs. Dotson, who is a highly capable off-movement shooter, too, hit 38.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot triple attempts last season, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data.

The other key goal for Dotson next season has to do with him meshing with a number of teammates.

#2: Fitting in with a variety of Cavs players

Dotson might get buried down in the rotation just because of the depth at the guard positions, especially with Dylan Windler being capable of shooting and playing at shooting guard. But, Dotson is quite the shooting presence himself, and again, off movement, in particular.

Even though he shot accurately with volume, Dotson can move with the ball and create opportunities for himself and others by his activity off the ball and in doing so, can cause defensive breakdowns as a result of his constant movement.

Cleveland has young, talented guards in Darius Garland, their 2019-20 leading scorer in Collin Sexton (20.8 points per outing) and Kevin Porter Jr., along with a group of talented and established veterans in the frontcourt. Dotson becoming a sharpshooter would be ideal and bode well for his career, but he has shown he can help open up offense because of his ability to move without the ball/space the floor for drivers/rollers.

This could become useful for players like Isaac Okoro, who might be on the raw side creating offense in settled situations, but also players such as Windler, Larry Nance Jr. or JaVale McGee.

Shooting could most certainly be his biggest asset, but being able to fit in with multiple styles and lineups will only help him find a role.

Dotson is still fairly young at 26 and fits the timeline of the Cavs’ plans and future. Through him seeming to fit in as an off-ball player and becoming an even more consistent shooter, he could help the Cavaliers out this season.