Peyton Watson has been one of the brightest spots for the Nuggets in this young season, providing excellent two-way bench minutes. His defense and playmaking have been outstanding, which has earned him the starting spot in the absence of Christian Braun.
But for Watson to be truly successful in the Denver starting unit, he is going to need to be even more assertive on the offensive end. He has ramped up his playmaking and ballhandling this year, but he can be even more aggressive, attacking the rim, getting to the free throw line, and shooting open shots without hesitation.
Despite a more prominent offensive role, Watson is shooting fewer shots, fewer threes, and getting to the line less often. He hasn’t found his shot yet this season, shooting just 44% and 26% from three-point range. However, it seems that this is contributing to a passivity that the Nuggets can ill afford.
They need Watson to be looking for his own offense and pressuring the defense with his combination of size and athleticism. He can make himself a tough matchup, being too big for guards and too athletic for bigs. But if he’s not driving to score and looking for his own shot, defenses won’t overreact.
Watson must shoot his way out of slump
Watson shot a solid 35% last season from distance, and his stroke looks solid. With better spacing around him, he should be getting better looks and shouldn’t be hesitating to let it fly. Denver can live with his poor shooting until he breaks out of this slump, but they can’t live with him being a non-shooter.
If he shrinks back into a role where he’s standing in the corner and defenses dare him to shoot, that becomes a liability for the Nuggets, and no matter how good he is defensively, it’s going to be tough to keep him in big games.
But if he attacks to score and starts firing up shots at a higher volume, opposing teams will be forced to respect him, and the extra attention he’s attracting will open up even more possibilities for the Nuggets’ already elite offense.
Just making the other team respect his presence will make a huge difference. Right now, teams don’t fully fear Watson, and frankly, would be happy to see possessions end with him shooting. But Peyton is a good enough player to take advantage of that and make teams pay. If he can do it, there’s yet another level this team can reach.