Former Spartan G Signs with Pro Team

Watts is a former four-star recruit from SPIRE Academy in Ohio. He would spend his first two collegiate seasons at Michigan State but was never really able to blossom into the star he was expected to be.

He showed a lot of promise as a freshman, averaging 9.0 points while making 16 starts in 27 games on Michigan State's 2019-20 squad that won the Big Ten title and was expected to go all the way by many before the COVID-19 pandemic ended its season. He would be named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

But Watts would take a step backward in Year 2, averaging just 7.7 points while making 15 starts in 28 appearances. He averaged 22.6 minutes per game, compared to his average of 22.3 minutes his freshman season.

Watts then transferred to Mississippi State and would suffer a torn labrum that would require surgery. He played in 19 games and made just one start, averaging just 4.4 points per game.

The former Spartan guard then transferred to Oakland, where he spent his final two collegiate seasons. He started all 29 games he appeared in during his first season with the Golden Grizzlies and would average 8.7 points per game.

Then in 2023-24, Watts would help lead Oakland to the NCAA Tournament, where it upset No. 3-ranked Kentucky. The Grizzlies won the Horizon League and the conference tournament that season, as Watts made 13 starts in 33 games, averaging 7.7 points per game.

While Watts' college career didn't quite go as planned, he now has an opportunity to make some noise overseas. Despite having transferred out of Michigan State, Watts is still a Spartan, and his presence on that 2019-20 team was pivotal.

He joins a long list of former Spartan players who have gone on to join the pros, further cementing Tom Izzo's success as a developer.