Thunder End of the Year Report Card: Paul Watson Jr.

Overall Grade: D

Paul Watson Jr.’s signing marked one of Sam Presti’s few “non-developmental” plays. Watson Jr. joined the franchise at 26 years old, making his signing one expected to source both leadership and consistent production for the youngest roster in the league. Instead, he sputtered, failing to place sturdy numbers in the NBA and G League.

The wing fell into place as one of the day-one roster’s top sharpshooters shooting a career 40.9% from deep, punctuated by a 46.9% output with the Raptors last season. Though used sparsely in the Six, the hope was he’d emulate his catch-and-shoot craft to the Thunder. It never quite fell into place.

Following his release in February, the veteran has looked to make a push back into pro play, last playing for the United States in the FIBA Qualifiers, in February.

Offensively

It was a tough break for Watson Jr. on the offensive end. His numbers prior to playing in Bricktown are about as clean-cut as it gets. When in the groove, he was a premier floor spacer who could sneak into double digits. He notched double digits once with the Thunder.

The Thunder attempted to warm Watson Jr. up with the Oklahoma City Blue this season. However, he was one of Grant Gibbs’ flakiest options, averaging 9.4 points on a 38.7% clip. From deep range, the 6-foot-6 wing shot 30.2% percent, triggering nearly five threes per game.

At the NBA level, he also failed to find any footing. In his nine NBA games, Watson Jr. shot 6-of-26 (23.1%) beyond the arc, with virtually all of these shots coming off-the-catch.

Watson Jr. never could shake his funk in Oklahoma City, leading to the wing playing extremely stiff on threes and on-ball shot attempts.

Defensively

Watson Jr. had a solid season on the defensive side of the basketball, handing the veteran a solid building block leading into next season.

His sample size of 156 NBA minutes makes picking apart his defensive ability a tough task. Though, the G League resume had some bright spots. 

In the passing lane, the Fresno State alum showed some activity averaging 0.8 steals with the Blue. Additionally, he was a lot more methodical when looking to contest shots, logging a career-best 1.9 fouls per game.

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