Entering his third season in the league, Watson has yet to establish himself as a consistent producer in fantasy or reality. Although he suited up for 80 games last year, he finished outside the top 250 in nine-category leagues, averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.6 three-pointers in 18.6 minutes per game. He flashed rim protection upside at stages throughout the season, at one point blocking 13 shots across a span of three games. Sadly, the same cannot be said for his offensive output. He lacks a reliable shot, be it from mid-range or the perimeter, while also shooting just 65.1 percent from the stripe over the course of his career. Despite losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Magic this offseason, the Nuggets remain in win-now mode, meaning opportunities for Watson could still be sporadic. He is someone to keep an eye on, just in case he can take some strides forward on the offensive end of the floor. However, Watson is not worth drafting outside of deeper formats. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Nuggets in July of 2022. Nuggets exercised $2.41 million team option for 2024-25 in October of 2023. Nuggets exercised $4.36 million team option for 2025-26 in October of 2024.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Watson was born on Sep. 11, 2002, in Beverly Hills, California. He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California, joining the varsity team as a freshman. He would gain a key role with the team as a junior, where he averaged 23.2 points and 8.0 per game, earning Moore League MVP honors. Watson was named to the rosters for the McDonald's All-American, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit. He was a consensus five-star recruit, one of the top small forwards and the highest-ranked player from California in the 2021 recruiting class. On July 27, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for UCLA over offers from Arizona, Gonzaga, Michigan, Oregon and Washington. As a freshman, he was joining an experienced UCLA group with all five starters returning after advancing to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. As a result, his playing time was sporadic and his role was very reduced compared to high school. However, he did receive an honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, averaging 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. After the season, Watson declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. He was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft with the 30th overall pick. He was then traded to the Denver Nuggets along with two future second-round picks for JaMychal Green and a 2027 protected first-round draft pick.
Running with starters Wednesday
FDenver Nuggets
November 6, 2024
Watson is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game versus Oklahoma City.
ANALYSIS Watson steps in with Aaron Gordon (calf) unavailable. Wednesday will mark his first start of the season and the seventh of his three-year NBA career. He is joined by Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, Michael Porter and Nikola Jokic in the first unit for a limited Denver squad.
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2024
2023
2022
Stat Review
How does Peyton Watson compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
42.5%
Effective Field Goal %
34.3%
3-Point Attempt Rate
31.4%
Free Throw Rate
45.1%
Offensive Rebound %
5.3%
Defensive Rebound %
8.8%
Total Rebound %
7.0%
Assist %
6.7%
Steal %
2.1%
Block %
4.6%
Turnover %
7.9%
Usage %
17.3%
Fantasy Points Per Game
16.4
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.8
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Nuggets Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Peyton Watson was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
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More Fantasy News
Steps up off bench
FDenver Nuggets
November 5, 2024
Watson notched 16 points (4-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 7-9 FT), three rebounds, one assist, two blocks and two steals in 31 minutes during Monday's 121-119 win over the Raptors.
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Chips in seven points
FDenver Nuggets
October 30, 2024
Watson supplied seven points (3-5 FG, 1-2 3Pt) and two rebounds over 20 minutes during Tuesday's 144-139 overtime victory over Brooklyn.
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Good to go for Thursday
FDenver Nuggets
October 21, 2024
Watson (hamstring) will be a full go for Thursday's game against the Thunder, Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com reports.
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Full participant in practice Sunday
FDenver Nuggets
Hamstring
October 20, 2024
Coach Michael Malone said Watson (hamstring) participated fully in practice for the first time in five weeks Sunday, Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports.
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Won't play Thursday
FDenver Nuggets
Hamstring
October 17, 2024
Watson (hamstring) won't be available for Thursday's preseason game against the Timberwolves, Katy Winge of Altitude Sports reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Strong Summer League numbers
FDenver Nuggets
July 20, 2023
Watson started Denver's first two Summer League contests, averaging 19.0 points, 3.5 rebounds 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. He shot 52.2 percent from the field.
ANALYSIS Watson quickly accumulated defensive stats, knocked down 13 of 17 free throws and displayed fine efficiency overall. The 20-year-old is still not showcasing an increased sample size of three-point attempts, but there's a lot to like about his game. Watson appeared in 23 NBA contests with the Nuggets last season, averaging 3.3 points on 49.2 percent shooting. He could be due for a larger role with Jeff Green having departed to Houston in the offseason.