Following this offseason, where the Nuggets extended Christian Braun but not Peyton Watson, there have been big questions about whether the 6’8” forward’s time in Denver will be coming to an end soon. Things just got much more interesting this week as well, after Watson signed with Klutch Sports and has been slid into the starting lineup due to injuries the team is facing.
Christian Braun will be out for at least 6 weeks (roughly 17 games) following a severe ankle sprain that he suffered against the Los Angeles Clippers. Cameron Johnson is also currently listed as day-to-day due to an injury of his own, forcing the Nuggets to start Tim Hardaway Jr. and Watson against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
P-Wat performed well in the starting lineup along with Denver’s stars and helped the Nuggets secure a 123-112 victory on the road. He recorded 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block in 34 minutes. His biggest impact came through his solid defensive effort on Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. In fact, he helped hold Edwards to 34.8% shooting from the field.
Watson could make himself a lot of money this holiday season
Entering the game Saturday night, Watson was averaging 6.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.1 BPG in just 21.1 minutes a night. His minutes and averages should skyrocket in the next 15 games or so with him starting and/or seeing an increased role due to the Braun injury.
At 23 years old, Watson still has tons of room to grow and develop. He even has the potential to develop into a quality starter, such as current NBA players like Jaden McDaniels or Herb Jones, or retired long-term NBA starters like Trevor Ariza or Robert Covington. Whether or not this happens remains (or if this happens with the Nuggets or another team) remains to be seen.
If these 15+ games with added run can showcase some of this untapped potential, Watson could turn into a hot commodity as a mid-level salary pick-up for some NBA team this offseason. On the other hand, if he fumbles this opportunity, it could be the difference between a multi-year double-digit salaried deal and a shorter/smaller contract instead.
Nuggets fans obviously hope that co-GMs Ben Tenzer and John Wallace can find a way to both keep Watson with Denver while not overpaying, but it will be a tough thing to balance depending on how this upcoming run and the rest of the season go for P-Wat. Regardless, the task at hand is winning the NBA championship this year, and Watson is a huge piece of that goal.