Opinion: A look at Knicks rookies Damyeon Dotson and Ognjen Jaramaz

The New York Knicks have two intriguing second round rookies you need to keep an eye on.

With the New York Knicks looking to put last season deep in to the past, and I mean buried somewhere that no one will ever even remember the slightest glimpse, a lot of focus is on rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina. As much attention there is on him, there are two other rookies the Knicks drafted that everyone should keep an eye on. Those rookies are Shooting Guard out of the University of Houston Damyean Dotson and Serbian Point Guard Ognjen Jaramaz.

Both are very impressive players who can both benefit the Knicks greatly if they can translate their skills to the next level. First off, Jaramaz is a point guard who seems to be a Serbian version of Derrick Rose. Before you start cursing out your device, he has a similar skill set to Rose but is obviously miles away from being what Rose was in his prime. He is a 6’5” point guard who likes to attack the basket and also like Rose cannot shoot the 3 pointer that well shooting only 28%. One quality that separates him from Rose, which is having the size to be a solid defender with good lateral quickness to back up his physique. According to scouts, he also has a high motor on defense which is always something good to have in any type of player on the Knicks in this era of the team. He isn’t exactly the best distributor as a point guard averaging only 3.7 assists a game per 30 minutes so that is something that should be worked on with him.

Overall, Jaramaz is someone who could use some work on his offensive skills but is someone who can bring athleticism and defense to the Knicks which is what President Steve Mills said is the main focus in their team this upcoming year. Jaramaz is the type of player the Knicks could use.

Second off we have Dotson out of Houston, a player who had a strong summer league and has the potential to be the absolute steal of the draft. Dotson played in college all four years with his first two in Oregon and finishing his last 2 seasons in Houston due to being accused of sexual harassment leading him to get kicked out of Oregon. The investigation was dropped due to a lack of evidence. He did have a long road to get to where he is now but this is a very underrated player in the draft. He is a sharp shooter who shot 44% in his senior year at Houston who was originally recruited for his skills as a slasher. He also shot 48% in the Summer League averaging a total of 12 points a game. From looking at Summer League highlights, he also appears to have a nice crossover which helped give him space on jump shots. Dotson can also be a contributor on the defensive end with a 6’5” height and 6’9” wingspan, a physique that gives him an advantage on that side of the ball. Along with a high motor, he has what it takes to be a solid perimeter defender that the Knicks desperately need. Another big quality that he excels in is rebounding on both ends of the floor and rebounding from any player on the floor, which is a major skill that really just exemplifies a player’s hustle, especially for a guard. He has the potential to be an energetic 3 and D player who can bring the grinding mentality back to the Knicks that hasn’t been seen since the 90’s.

He may not be a young rookie, but he has the athleticism and defensive ability that the Knicks need. All in all, Dotson can offer the Knicks a great deal if he can translate his skills.

Both of these players have a lot of work to do in order to become regular rotation players for the Knicks, but these are players who can potentially add more depth to the team. It all depends on their work ethic and how they carry themselves as professionals from here on out. With that said, there is still great potential that can be reached with Dotson and Jaramaz.