Peyton Watson might be secret ingredient for Nuggets' success in 2025-26

The vibes are high surrounding our Denver Nuggets. 

The front office combination of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace seriously bolstered the roster, making moves for Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas, on top of bringing back fan favorite Bruce Brown and signing Tim Hardaway Jr. Even better, Jamal Murray looks to be in great shape, and the best player on the planet, Nikola Jokic, returns to lead the team during his 11th season in the Mile High City. 

Despite that star power and addition of depth, the secret to this team’s success in the upcoming season might just be a Peyton Watson breakout. Watson — a 23-year-old wing entering his fourth season — is far from the team’s best player. But he might have the skill set to help mask some of the retooled roster’s remaining deficiencies.  

More Ball-Handling Opportunities

Believe it or not, the Nuggets were outscored by 9.8 points per 100 possessions in non-garbage-time minutes without Jokic in 2024-25. New head coach David Adelman and the front office prioritized fixing the second unit, bringing in playmakers and shooters who can (ideally) keep leads intact when the starters rest. 

But it’s Peyton Watson’s improved ball handling that could be precisely what the bench unit needs to do more than hemorrhage points. 

Through the preseason, Watson embraced a secondary or tertiary facilitator role with the bench unit and looks comfortable doing it. Watson had the ball in his hands extensively, operating responsibly, making sound decisions, and “playing in straight lines,” per his head coach. 

The Nuggets’ Matt Brooks highlighted a textbook pick-and-roll sequence against the Clippers where Watson turned the corner around Kawhi Leonard and forced Brook Lopez to commit before dumping it off to Valanciunas for the easy dunk. 

After the sensational championship run, a lot of folks forgot about Bruce Brown’s struggles running point for Denver’s bench in the 2023 regular season. Brown’s limitations as a primary creator exposed the Nuggets’ second unit's playmaking dearth. Watson’s growth in this area directly addresses that vulnerability.

With Valanciunas as a legitimate roll man, Hardaway and one of Julian Strawther or Murray/Johnson in staggered lineups as shooting threats, and Brown cutting off the ball, Watson can help run an actual offense when Jokic sits. 

In best-case possessions, Watson can run pick-and-roll actions instead of forcing iso possessions or contested jumpers. Big Val demands attention at the rim, which opens kick-out opportunities for shooters and driving/cutting lanes for Watson and Brown. He’s not a polished finisher yet, but with Valanciunas occupying the paint and shooters on the perimeter, Watson should see cleaner looks at the rim and more chances to build confidence as a scorer. 

If he can consistently initiate and make reads, Denver won’t have to sacrifice ball movement or settle for as many stagnant possessions when the starters rest. That alone could be the difference between maintaining leads and watching them dissolve. 

Two-Way Potential

When the front office and coach Adelman preached “internal development” as the path forward before making splash moves this offseason, you’d have to think Watson, Strawther, and, to some degree, Christian Braun took note. But only Watson remains uniquely positioned to fill Denver’s most glaring gaps: secondary playmaking, athletic wing defense, and rim protection. 

We talked about the offensive playmaking already, but Watson can roll, slash, cut, and run in transition, too. He also splashed a career-best 44.7 percent on corner three-pointers. If he takes even a modest leap in consistency, he stabilizes the bench and gives the coaching staff that much more lineup versatility. 

On defense is where P-Wat’s natural traits can really shine through. Debatably the most talented wing defender on the roster, Watson can guard positions one through four. Denver hasn’t exactly enjoyed that kind of switchable length on D since Jerami Grant. 

And the rim protection stats are nutty. Last year, Watson finished 16th in the NBA in total blocks with 93 in total, second among players 6’10” or shorter. Even crazier, 17 of Watson's rejections were three-point attempts — a figure that led the NBA. In a league dominated by versatile wings, Watson can be a rangy, instinctive, long, and disruptive deterrent for the Nuggets’ defense. 

The league is moving toward long, rangy wings who can shoot, switch, and slash. Peyton Watson possesses the physical tools, the defensive instincts, and the theoretical offensive versatility to fit that archetype for this Denver Nuggets team. 

Is Watson Ready? 

Peyton Watson won’t win MVP. (That award might be Joker’s to lose.) He won’t make an All-Star team. But he might be the most important player to the Nuggets’ championship hopes in the year ahead. 

The Nuggets’ offseason focused on building a coherent, functional roster that maximizes Jokic’s brilliance while developing the next wave of contributors.

If Watson takes the leap everyone around the organization thinks he’s capable of, the Mile High crew has a chance to be special. If he doesn’t, the Nuggets’ contention window might close faster than any of us hoped. 

The retooled roster gives P-Wat the runway to develop into a two-way force. Is he ready to seize the opportunity? The preseason returns indicate that he might be. And his impact might not be so secret for much longer.