Peyton Watson’s move to Cleveland has already come with a notable stamp of approval: ESPN has placed the new Cavaliers forward at No. 96 on its top 100 NBA players list for the upcoming season.
That’s a fresh development for Watson, who did not crack the list last year. Now he’s in it, and ESPN pointed directly to the season he just put together in Denver as the reason.
The network wrote, “Watson's impact last year with Denver and his role this season has him cracking the top 100 for the first time,” ESPN wrote. “Before injuring his right hamstring Feb.
4, Watson was averaging 14.9 points while shooting 49.6% from the field and 41.7% on 3-pointers. (His 53% clip on corner 3s last season ranked sixth in the NBA among players with at least 1,000 minutes.)
Following his offseason trade, Watson is likely to slide into the starting small forward role with Cleveland.”
Watson arrived in Cleveland on a four-year, $88 million deal through a sign-and-trade with the Denver Nuggets. The contract includes a player option and a trade kicker.
The Cavaliers clearly think they landed more than just a rotation piece. On the latest Terry’s Talkin’ podcast, Cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto said he spoke to an NBA executive about Watson, and that executive was jealous Cleveland got him.
Pluto also relayed the team’s view of the forward: “Our coaches believe he is an elite defender, and they believe he will really continue to grow on offense. They really like him.”
Watson’s numbers from last season in Denver back up the buzz. He averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from 3-point range and 73.0% from the free-throw line. ESPN described him as one of the top two-way wings in the league.
For his career, Watson has averaged 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Harden recruited him to the Cavaliers.
The fit in Cleveland is easy to see on paper, and the team’s new look now includes Watson alongside Harden, Mitchell, Mobley and Allen. Whether that group can win a championship is the question hanging over the season.
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Craig Porter Jr. is one name to watch if the Cavaliers need to create room, while Jarrett Allen remains the kind of established piece who would only enter the conversation if the team were seriously reconsidering its direction. Kenny Atkinsons status also hangs over the bigger picture after the playoff results, because coaching decisions at this stage rarely stay isolated from roster decisions. For a team trying to balance continuity with urgency, the next move may be the clearest signal yet about how much of this core Cleveland truly intends to keep together. [Read more 🡒]