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Indiana Pacers 2020 Draft Profile: Devon Dotson

By Brendan Purdue

WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Devon Dotson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Devon Dotson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Devon Dotson, Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Devon Dotson, Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

The second-year guard from Kansas had a big season for the Jayhawks last year. Could the Indiana Pacers look at him with the 54th pick in the upcoming draft?

The Indiana Pacers hold the 54th pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. The pick is into the later parts of the second round where finding talent that can contribute is hard but not impossible. University of Kansas guard Devon Dotson has been projected anywhere from late first round to late second round. If he slips to the Pacers at 54, I think Kevin Pritchard and company should give consideration.

Dotson is a second-year guard out of Kansas who had quite the season for the Jayhawks, one of the best teams in the country last season. Dotson improved from his freshman season to his sophomore season by upping his averages across the board. In his 2019 campaign, he averaged 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.1 steals per game.

Two aspects of Devon Dotson’s game pop out at you when you watch him. His ability to take the defender off the dribble and get a really good look at the hoop is top-notch. Watching Dotson make his way to the rim reminds me a little bit of current Pacer Edmond Sumner.

The second aspect that pops out is his ability to pass to running bigs whether that be off a pick and roll or just a big running towards the rim. Espn College Analyst Jay Bilas stated last season that Kansas had the best point guard and big man combo with Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike, which is very high praise.

Dotson does have some areas he will need to improve on if he wants to take his game to the next level and contribute to a team. His three-point shot is suspect at best. His three-point shooting percentage fell from 36.1 percent his freshman season to 30.9 percent last season. Consistency is what I believe to be the issue here. The form looks solid enough and Dotson shoots 83 percent from the free-throw line, showing that he can improve upon this. Turnovers are another area he will need to improve on once he gets to the NBA as he averaged 2.4 in his sophomore season.

Dotson will also need to get his body NBA ready. Dotson stands at 6’2 and weighs in at about 185 pounds. 185 pounds is on the lighter end of the spectrum for NBA guards, so teams would like to see him at around the 195 to 200-pound range to help him defend bigger guards on the court.

I believe Dotson has the potential to become a solid NBA point guard. I think his ceiling would be something along the lines of Darren Collison. Collison throughout his career was a fringe starting guard who could provide quality minutes. If Dotson can improve his three-point jump shot into a consistent one I believe he could carve out himself a role in the league. If Dotson falls to the Indiana Pacers at 54, they should give the Kansas product much consideration.

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