For much of his time with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, fifth-year senior Anton Watson has put his own acclaim on the back burner in favor of team success. That's reasonable given the firepower that's surrounded him throughout his career — from NBA talents Chet Holmgren, Jalen Suggs, Corey Kispert and Andrew Nembhard, to the program's all-time leading scorer in Drew Timme, there haven't been many opportunities for the Spokane native to shine in the traditional sense.
But when disregarding the box score, Watson has quietly been one of the most consistently efficient winners in college basketball. Diving for loose balls, deflecting passes and setting hard screens make what many would describe as a "glue guy," a player who excels at the little things that add up to winning basketball. Watson has been that and so much more for the Bulldogs this season, highlighted by his 32-point performance against UCLA on the last day of the Maui Invitational.
That near-perfect game was huge for a Gonzaga team that struggled to get anything going offensively outside of Watson. It also boosted him as the team's leading scorer and rebounder, as he's averaging a career-best 15.8 points and 8.8 boards.
Former Gonzaga All-American Dan Dickau broke down Watson's future beyond his college career, as well as the Bulldogs' season outlook and the rest of the WCC's ups and downs in nonconference play, on a new episode of Gonzaga Nation.
Produced by Christian Pedersen.
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