Given the injuries, some of the drama that unfolded and their giant backward step from being a top-four playoff squad, the New York Knicks‘ 2021-22 campaign definitely wasn’t a year for the fainthearted. However, there were at least a handful of bright spots for fans to latch onto.
Immanuel Quickley’s eye-popping play down the stretch, RJ Barrett’s continued evolution as the face of the franchise and even Kemba Walker’s 44-point outburst at MSG two days before Christmas all stand out.
The same could probably be said for the return of Damyean Dotson, who reemerged from the ether to help the Knicks stay in the game as a hardship signee during December’s league-wide COVID-19 outbreak.
And while the 28-year-old ultimately saw action in just two contests for New York, he figures to be making a major impact on the court next season after finding a new basketball home this week.
Dotson Signs With Up-and-Coming BSL Team
Per an announcement from the club on Friday, Dotson has signed a one-year deal with Gaziantep Basketbol of the Turkish BSL.
The move represents a literal sea change for the baller who, aside from that brief stint in the Big Apple, spent most of last season with the G League’s Austin Spurs, averaging 15.1 points and six rebounds per contest.
Gaziantep, meanwhile, took a sizable step forward last season under the direction of former player and one-time Bursaspor play-caller Tutku Acık. After logging a 15-15 record and getting swept in the playoffs in 2020-21, the club finished 19-11 in ’21-22 — its best record since joining Turkey’s top tier a decade ago.
The team was unable to make it past Troy Caupain and Darussafaka in the postseason, though, losing its quarterfinal series two games to one.
Nevertheless, Gaziantep saw fit to re-up with Acık earlier this week, announcing via Twitter that it had signed the 41-year-old up for an additional two years at the helm.
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Dotson’s Career At a Glance
After joining the Knicks as a second-round back in 2017, Dotson was largely relegated to mop-up duty as a rookie, splitting his time between the club’s Westchester G League affiliate and the main roster. However, his year-two emergence was a highlight of New York’s ill-fated 2018-19 season.
The Houston product appeared in 73 games that year, making 40 starts along the way, and averaged 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27.5 minutes per contest. He also connected on a respectable 36.8% of his three-point attempts.
Alas, a torn labrum disrupted the start to his third year, and David Fizdale — who had given Dotson his first real opportunity in the league — was fired just 22 games into the season. So, he was never quite the same player from that point forward.
When the Knicks opted to let him walk, Dotson caught on with the Cavs for 2020-21, but he shot career-low percentages with the team.
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Ex-Knicks Starter Taking His Game to Turkish League