Damyean Dotson returns to the Knicks on a 10-day contract

The New York Knicks are trying to piece together a solid rotation while a handful of their players sit in health and safety protocols. They’ve gone deep into their bench, but their depth only stretches so far these days with every new lineup experiment shelved due to the COVID outbreak that’s affecting the entire league.

So, the Knicks are looking elsewhere for assistance, but they’re not going too far out of their comfort zone. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, New York is signing guard Damyean Dotson to a 10-day hardship exemption.

Dotson was drafted by the Knicks with the 44th pick in the 2017 Draft. After a quiet rookie season in which he turned some heads, he carved out a significant spot in the rotation as a sophomore, where he started 40 games while averaging 10.7 points in 27.5 minutes a night. His opportunities took a dip in Year 3 and the Knicks didn’t bring him back that summer, paving the way for Dotson to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who he played for across 46 games a season ago before being waived this past September.

After being picked up by the San Antonio Spurs, Dotson was waived once again before making his way to San Antonio’s G League team based in Austin, where he’s shot 35.2 percent from beyond the arc and averaged 12.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in nearly 35 minutes a night.

Given how many Knicks are currently unavailable, it’s likely that Dotson will be thrown into the fire as soon as possible. We don’t know when exactly that will be. New York next plays Tuesday against the Pistons and Thursday against Washington.