Peyton Watson has been turning heads left and right all season, but he has taken things to another level with Nikola Jokic out of the lineup. Watson was a raw prospect coming out of UCLA and has shown flashes in the NBA, but he was never able to earn the trust of Michael Malone and struggled to make an impact on the offensive end.
But now, in his fourth season, after the Nuggets chose not to offer him a rookie extension in the Fall, he has been a big part of David Adelman’s rotation since day one, and as the injuries have added up, P-Wat has become one of the team’s most important and reliable players.
But it’s not just in Denver, where he’s impressing. On a recent episode of the Kevin O’Connor Show, KOC and Andrew Sharp drafted teams made up of the most underrated players in the NBA. The only criterion was to build the best possible team, and no rookies or former All-Stars were allowed.
With his third selection, O’Connor took Watson, praising the way he has improved on offense, both on and off the ball. His three-point shooting has gone all the way up to over 40% on the season, and he has proven to be a dynamic player off the dribble.
KOC raved about Watson’s play in the pick-and-roll and in isolation this season, and mentioned how good he has played in the games without Jokic, taking on a primary role and absolutely crushing it as a number two option next to Jamal Murray, while the team has won five of their last six.
Watson contract going to be biggest story of offseason
The only downside to Watson’s breakout season is that he’s going to be a restricted free agent after the season, and his price tag is going up with every game. Between Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun, the Nuggets are already on the hook for over $187 million next season for five players, with the second apron projected to land around $223 million.
Based on past history, press conferences, and media reports, it’s hard to imagine that Denver is going to be willing to spend above the second apron and incur the penalties, which leaves the team with under $40 million to spend on an entire bench.
Denver also has almost $8 million going to Zeke Nnaji next season, so even if they just added eight players on minimum contracts, they’d have a hard time coming up with $20 million a season per Watson.
Going into this year, that may have seemed like less of a problem, but with the way he has played this season, you can bet there are going to be some teams that come calling in free agency, looking to lure the 23-year-old away from Denver.