4 veterans on 10-day contracts who can revitalize their NBA careers

The New York City legend and Brooklyn native averaged 19.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 47/31/69 shooting splits with the Grand Rapids Gold in the G League. You’d probably want better three-point and free-throw shooting, but he’s roughly at his career percentages on those fronts. 

You probably also need to brush up on your Stephenson film; we ain’t here for threes. We want crossovers into reckless mid-range jumpers that go in and provoke an air guitar celebration. We want spin moves that result in improbable and-one finishes at the rim, complete with some random gyration many of you would tip-toe around describing over FCC airwaves. And ultimately, we’re looking for any semblance of satisfaction we could have in this climate, so if Stephenson could provide that on a decimated Hawks team, so be it. 

In partial seriousness, though, he’s still just 31. He can plug in some offensive holes the Hawks will have for 15-20 minutes a contest if he needs, for the time being. If he plays well, he should be back in the league somewhere. His Lakers season wasn’t outcast-worthy. 

Damyean Dotson, New York Knicks

Whole Team!

Not only does this period mean comeback stories for familiar names, but it kicks in the door for clubs to bring home some players who have bounced around elsewhere. Damyean Dotson is back in New York, and while he won’t heal all of their wounds, he could help mask some in his temporary stay. It will make sense to make this a permanent play, though, if he thrives in his role. 

Dotson was a second-round pick in 2017 and logged 165 appearances with the Knicks until 2020. He netted 7.8 points per game on 42/35/71 shooting splits and wasn’t a defensive stopper, but was respectable on that end of the floor considering what else they had. It’s worth noting that he hit over 36% from three in his last two seasons as a Knick, which included an expanded role (23.5 minutes per game) compared to his rookie season of under 11 minutes per game. 

Last season, Dot was a Cleveland Cavalier, averaging 6.7 points through 46 appearances, but only shot 41/29/67 splits in 19.7 minutes per contest. In 12 G League starts with the Austin Spurs at 34.9 minutes per contest, he posted about 12.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game on 47/35/78 shooting splits, showing more well-roundedness than we’re accustomed to. Doing that, and hitting threes, could keep him on someone’s roster. 

Isaiah Thomas, Los Angeles Lakers 

Without rehashing all of the turbulent Isaiah Thomas tales, let’s focus on these last four weeks or so. It included a two-game stint with Team USA as they began FIBA World Cup qualifiers shortly after Thanksgiving. 

It included going off for 42 points and eight assists in his G League debut just last week. And it also includes an NBA debut with the shorthanded Lakers, where he netted 19 points on a primetime ESPN game against the Minnesota Timberwolves about 48 hours following the G League explosion. 

Thomas turns 33 in February and is now six seasons removed from being the peak IT we remember. Since then, he’s been largely limited due to injuries. That said, he’s still a creative scorer who has averaged decent scoring numbers even in his abbreviated roles since being traded from the Boston Celtics. He just hasn’t been able to sustain it, or good health, or quality shooting percentages, save for hitting 41 percent of his threes with the Washington Wizards two seasons ago. 

For Thomas, it isn’t about ability so much as it’s about health. If he could score, shoot a reasonable percentage, and maintain good health, he’ll find minutes even as people will have questions about his defense. As of this writing, he’s played 54 minutes with the Lakers and has recorded 32 points on 44/39/78 shooting splits. That’s a lot to maintain, and as they get healthier, they won’t need him to, but if he could stay in that area until the Lakers are closer to full strength, they could use the offensive creation from anywhere at this point. 

Thomas, for sure, is playing for keeps.