Peyton Watson has attempted 27 mid-range jumpers all season. Around half of them, 13 to be exact, have come in January.
What’s behind the recent uptick?
“Coming in as a young player and trying to make a name for yourself and get a spot in the rotation, you’re not just coming in shooting of the dribble jumpers,” Watson told DNVR. “That’s not analytically the best shot, especially if you’re someone just coming in and trying to create his role.”
“Now that I’ve created my role and people know what I’m going to do on the defensive end, it’s just been more about me expanding my game offensively, seeing what works, trial and error, and getting ready for when it counts in the playoffs.”
We’ve passed the halfway point of the regular season, and Watson is right. By now, the Nuggets know what they’re getting from him on the defensive end of the floor.
The second-year forward is a ball hawk defensively. He’s proven that he’s capable of guarding a wide variety of players — from smaller, score-first guards to bigger, more physically imposing wings.
He’s flashed his prowess as a rim protector all season too.
So with a rotation spot firmly locked down, Watson’s now comfortable exploring his offense more and more. And that’s where his off-the-dribble game comes in.
We haven’t seen it much in Denver, but Watson is comfortable in that mid-range zone. It’s where he made a lot of his living as a higher usage player at the high school level and partly how he became the No. 1 ranked player in all of California as a senior at Long Beach Poly.
Watson has always had an off-the-dribble mid-range jumper in his bag. Now, he’s just bringing it out.
“That’s more so always been my game,” Watson told DNVR. “I’ve always been a pretty good touch player. I’ve got good touch when I get in there, so I’ve always tried to shoot the middy as much as possible, especially when I’m being more high usage. If you go and watch the G League film from last year, I made a million mid-range jumpers.”
Watson has also been encouraged by his teammates, notably Jamal Murray, to let it fly from outside of the paint.
Earlier this season, Murray noticed some indecision in Watson’s offensive game. When Watson often got the ball, he didn’t know if he wanted to drive and attack the defense, shoot the jumper, or pass.
A vote of confidence from Murray in the 21-year-old’s offense was worth a lot.
“He was just telling me, ‘I watch you work out every day. You can hit those shots. You have a lot of different facets to your game. So when you go, go look to score, then when you look to score, once the defense starts helping on you, that’s when you look to facilitate.’ He’s just given me a lot of small tips like that,” Watson told DNVR.
“I know he thinks that I can be a really good player in this league, and he trusts me,” Watson said about his and Murray’s relationship. “He passes me the ball. He trusts me to guard the best player. He trusts me to guard the point guard of the other team.”
It’s not just Murray. Michael Malone’s trust in Watson has rapidly grown this season. That’s been reflected in the forward’s minutes.
Watson has led the Nuggets’ bench in minutes across Denver’s last two games — and those two matchups were against playoff-level opponents in the Knicks and 76ers. On the road against the Celtics last week in another playoff atmosphere, Watson played 21 minutes, the same amount as sixth man Reggie Jackson.
It’s not hard to envision a world very soon where Watson becomes the Nuggets’ full-time sixth man. He might already be their sixth-best player, especially if his offense continues on this trajectory.
“I’m just focusing on becoming the most complete player I can be for this team,” Watson told DNVR. “The game is slowing down game by game. I’m getting better game by game. Every game is different, so I’m just learning at 21 years old.”
