Peyton Watson returned in the Denver Nuggets' 128-112 win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday after missing over six weeks with a hamstring strain. It was the moment everyone had been waiting for, not just for Watson to step on the court again, but for the team to have a clean injury report. On top of that, it answered a question everyone has been wondering about over the past few weeks.
When Watson went down on Feb. 4, he was on a tear. Since the start of the calendar year, he was averaging 21.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game, shooting 48.6% from the field and 45.7% from three. He was playing a larger role than expected as the Nuggets' injuries mounted.
What role would Watson play when he returned to the lineup?
Well, on Sunday, he hit six of his 13 shots, so that in itself answered part of the question. He operated in the two-man game with Nikola Jokić. When Jamal Murray was on the bench getting a breather, the forward acted as the primary ball-handler, a part of his game he unlocked before he got hurt.
Peyton Watson's role with the Nuggets has changed drastically
In January, the forward averaged 16.1 field goal attempts per game (on good efficiency). You might've thought that in his first game back, that number would be more so in the eight or nine range, like it was in the first couple of months of the season, but instead, Denver put the ball in his hands, encouraging him to shoot.
One thing is for sure: his confidence didn't falter in the six weeks he was sidelined, and that's a great thing for the Nuggets.
Of course, after one game, he still isn't where he was, but with three weeks left in the regular season, he has some time to get there before the playoffs start. It was encouraging to see the Nuggets let him operate in a similar offensive role that propelled him into the breakout season he was in the midst of.
On the other end, Christian Braun was the one to guard Deni Avdija (who shot 2-of-5 with the guard on him), but when Watson gets his legs back under him, he'll have the task again of taking on the top defensive assignment. That's where the Nuggets feel Watson's impact most, with his offensive evolution serving as the cherry on top.
What fans want is for Denver to give Peyton Watson some space to be who he was before he went down, and on Sunday, David Adelman did just that.