Devon Dotson, four other Charlotte stars, hope to make their NBA dreams come true
Monday night, Devon Dotson ate fondue in uptown Charlotte with his family to celebrate his father’s birthday. But it was hard not to talk about Wednesday’s NBA draft.
Dotson, a 6-foot-1 point guard who played at Providence Day School and for the Kansas Jayhawks, is expected to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second. The Observer’s Rick Bonnell’s latest mock draft has Dotson going late in the first round.
“I’m very nervous. There’s a lot of emotions. I’m anxious,” Dotson said via cellphone Tuesday afternoon. “So it’s a ‘good’ excited, but there’s definitely some nervous, you know. I don’t look at mock (drafts) but you go to Twitter and you might see some. But I try to stay away from that stuff. But it’s very nervous because you don’t know where you’re going to end up and you don’t know what’s going on.”
Dotson, a former McDonald’s All-American, has spent lots of time training in Las Vegas and working on his diet this summer and fall. He’s traded cookies for protein shakes and chows down on more vegetables and less cookies and hamburgers.
The trademark first step quickness that helped him lead Providence Day School to a state championship in 2016 and Kansas to a Big 12 title last year, he said, has only improved with his new regimen.
Dotson, 21, has added 6.6 pounds and lowered his body fat from 5.9 percent to 4.6, according to a USA Today report. Dotson also improved his standing vertical by 1.5 inches (31.5) and max vertical by two inches (40.5) compared to his 2019 NBA Draft Combine measurements.
“I feel I have more energy now,” Dotson said. “My body has leaned out. It’s just a different feel that your body has.”
Other Charlotte-area NBA draft prospects
Besides Dotson, four other Charlotte-area players could become NBA players Wednesday night or in the next few days.
▪ Patrick Williams, Florida State, 6-8, 225, PF: Two NBA sources told the Observer that Williams could go as high as No. 4 in the draft. He was ACC 6th Man of the Year and is drawing comparisons to Draymond Green.
▪ Josh Hall, 6-9, 195, SF: Hall committed to N.C. State out of Moravian Prep School in Hickory, but he decided to enter and stay in the draft and skip college. He’s got the size and 3-point shooting teams covet and could be a second round pick or free agent possibility.
▪ Nate Hinton, 6-5, 210, CG: Hinton started 31 games as a sophomore at Houston, averaging 10.6 points and 8.7 rebounds. Like Hall, he could be a second-round pick or free agent possibility. Hinton is a tough defender and rebounder for his size. He has been working out at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Gastonia, where his father, Benjamin, is the pastor. Hinton played high school ball at Gaston Day.
▪ Ty-Shon Alexander, 6-4, 195, SG: Alexander averaged 17 points, five rebounds as a junior at Creighton last year and was a finalist for the Jerry West Award, given to the nation’s best shooting guard. Alexander, who played for national power Oak Hill (VA) in high school, is a great defender with great shooting range. He is expected to be a second round pick.
Pride and ‘Super Excited’
For Dotson, he’s looking forward to showing off what he says is an improved jump shot in the league. He shot 31 percent from the college 3-point line last season.
Dotson said he’s been taking “hundreds and hundreds” of shots every day and said his jump shot is better than it’s ever been. His plan is use that improved shot to make defenders have to come out to guard him, which will allow him to use his speed and quickness.
“In the NBA, the floor is going to be more spaced (out), there are more lanes to attack,” Dotson said, “and I can get to the rim at will and make plays for others and myself. I feel like these past eight months, putting up the reps every day and staying consistent, my shot is coming off cleaner and smoother and I’m very confident in it right now and ready to take it to the next level.”
In a few hours, Dotson will know his future. He’ll also give his father, Dana, a bit of a late birthday present.
It’s not often your son becomes an NBA player.
“It’s kind of crazy, you know,” Dotson said. “You kind of work for this. You do work for this. So it’s seeing all that hard work pay off, but you know it doesn’t stop once you get there. You’ve got to keep going. But (Wednesday) night is going to be very special for my family and I, for everybody that helped me along the way, so you know I’m just super excited.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Devon Dotson, four other Charlotte stars, hope to make their NBA dreams come true."
