What Peyton Watson’s Development Means For The Nuggets

What Peyton Watson’s Development Means For The Nuggets

Through all the excitement surrounding Denver’s new arrivals, what might have been forgotten was the fact that these moves inevitably came at the expense of playing time for the team’s young players. For prospects, such as Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett, that reality led to a significant reduction in minutes. The same fate could have easily awaited Watson, despite entering the season higher in the pecking order. Instead, injuries to Gordon and Braun opened the door for him to start several games. Watson fully capitalized on the opportunity.

While it may be tempting to attribute Watson’s emergence solely to good fortune created by injuries, there was just as easily a scenario in which things broke the other way. Concerns about his decision-making, limited shooting ability, and overall offensive impact could have led to him being benched, overtaken by players such as Bruce Brown or Spencer Jones. Watson could have shared a fate similar to Zeke Nnaji. Nnaji is a intriguing player who never developed enough offensively to become a reliable contributor for this Nuggets team.

Instead, Watson has done the opposite. He has proven himself fully capable of starting for the Nuggets. Not only that, but his versatility also makes him a fascinating X-factor for Denver when the playoffs arrive. He can credibly fill multiple roles, effectively defending and playing positions three through five. His rise gives the Nuggets legitimate hope that Gordon’s long-term successor may already be on the roster, much in the same way Braun once emerged as a successor to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Watson’s Hard Work Is Finally Bearing Fruit

Watson has always had the raw physical tools that made him an incredibly intriguing prospect. Traits that led former general manager Calvin Booth to famously declare in a 2023 interview with Kevin O’Connor that Watson, compared to the at the time departing Brown, was “bigger… longer… more athletic… guards better… passes better…”. To this day, the quote has lived on in infamy largely because basketball experts all over the world are still trying to find out how he concluded that Watson’s passing was anything to get excited about.

However, the undeniable truth is that he has worked tirelessly on his weaknesses. Now, the fruits of his labor are finally showing. His shooting has improved, as has his decision-making on both ends of the floor. He’s continually improving as a cutter off Jokic double teams, using his physical tools more effectively on defense, and displaying an increasingly refined understanding of his role. In short, he’s steadily becoming a better complement to Jokic and Murray.

As encouraging as the positives have been, they need to be viewed in the proper context. It would be a mistake to look at Watson’s near-39 percent shooting from three and assume he has suddenly become a knockdown shooter. Much like Russell Westbrook’s numbers last season, it is important to consider what type of looks we are talking about here. If it means taking the ball out of the stars’ hands, opposing defenses are content to leave him wide open. The difference is that, for now, he’s making them pay. In the postseason, however, a disciplined defensive team could still exploit him if his shooting isn’t fully reliable. This was evident as the Thunder did with Westbrook last year.

Unlocking Devastating Defensive Lineups