Young Player Spotlight: Peyton Watson

Peyton Watson is finally having his moment.

After Aaron Gordon’s injury early in the first quarter of a narrow win against Toronto six games ago, Michael Malone had no choice but to play Watson heavy minutes, and he’s delivered.

The third-year forward has been a defensive wrecking ball for much of his career, but offensive struggles had kept him nailed to the bench. Since Gordon’s injury, however, Watson has averaged 14 points per game on 55 percent shooting – despite several games without Nikola Jokic.

Where much of his offense used to come in transition, Watson has shown increased verve in a half-court setting, filling Gordon’s role as the roll man and dunker-spot lurker. He’s even flashed a tiny bit of off-the-dribble self-creation:

The Nuggets’ bench has been their Achilles’ heel for years, but if Watson can keep up this level of play in a smaller role after Gordon’s return, they might finally have someone they can rely upon.