Earl Watson

Earl Watson is returning for his second season as the backup point guard for the Jazz. He has an ability to score, but is primarily a ball handler who facilitates the offense. He could realistically average as many assists as he does points. He could see a drastic increase in minutes per game if Harris goes down at any time with an injury.

Earl Watson is a nine-year veteran and has been a starter at times on other teams. He has an ability to score but is not the best outside shooter. He can run an offense and can put up decent numbers in both assists and steals. Look for Utah to deploy him as the first point guard off the bench.

Unlike when Jarrett Jack was in a full-on competition with T.J. Ford for the starting point guard job, Watson is a classic backup. Watson could pile up the assists should something happen to Ford, but he's not much of a scorer or shooter, though that hasn't thwarted him from taking a fair number of three-point attempts.

Watson began the 2007-08 season as part of point-guard-by-committee, sharing the duties with Luke Ridnour and Delonte West. But Ridnour battled injuries, and West was traded to Cleveland, leaving Watson as the primary ball handler on the team. And he responded with a nice stretch over the course of the second half, posting 14.6 points and 7.1 assists in 32.0 minutes per game after the All-Star break. It was the most productive stint in his career. He’s not a flashy playmaker, but Watson doesn’t turn the ball over much and can knock down mid-range jumpers. He’s a steady hand on a very young team, that’s getting younger with the selection of point guard Russell Westbrook in the first-round. The Thunder are nowhere near being a contender, so you have to figure the rookie will be part of the guard rotation to start the year, with Watson entrusted in helping Westbrook’s development. Watson could quite possibly begin the year as the starter and finish as a backup.

Watson's season ended four games prematurely last season with an ankle injury after he took the starting point guard job from Luke Ridnour late last season. Watson, Ridnour and newcomer Delonte West will compete for the job this season, and Watson could have an advantage with his defensive skills. Watson averaged 9.4 points, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.1 turnovers last season.

Watson’s signing came as a surprise to most fans and most certainly to back-up Earl Boykins. What surprised everyone even more was the amount of money (5 years, $29.2 million) the team threw at a guy most people considered a decent back-up. Watson brings a big strong frame 6’1” 190 lbs., youth, and a decent outside shooting touch (32%, 52-163, from 3-point range in 2004-05) to the Nuggets who have been looking for a dependable third PG for two years. Assuming Hodge is left out of the PG fold, and also assuming nobody gets traded we see Watson battling Earl Boykins for the back-up role. In the end we see both players splitting those back-up minutes with Watson seeing 8-13 minutes a night, and collecting 3-5 points, 1 rebound, and 2-3 assists.

Watson's calling card is his defense. He can easily change the tempo of a game with an in-your-face style on the defensive end of the court. His offense is shaky (only 5.5 points in 17.3 minutes a game last year) but Watson should see action — depending on matchups — in a rotation of three point guards (Jason Williams, Troy Bell, and Watson).