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. Contract includes $4.36 million team option for 2025-26.
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.
Logs 13 points as bench empties
FDenver Nuggets
April 7, 2024
Watson finished with 13 points (6-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), six rebounds, two assists, five blocks and one steal across 27 minutes during Saturday's 142-110 victory over Atlanta.
ANALYSIS Watson will rarely post numbers this high, but the lopsided total gave him extra playing time Saturday evening. Aaron Gordon's (foot) injury also allowed for more time on the floor. The 2022 first-round pick has seen a sharp increase in all his 2023-24 season averages, but the 21-year-old still sits far outside fantasy viability.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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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 %
53.9%
Effective Field Goal %
51.6%
3-Point Attempt Rate
34.0%
Free Throw Rate
23.7%
Offensive Rebound %
4.2%
Defensive Rebound %
14.7%
Total Rebound %
9.6%
Assist %
7.5%
Steal %
1.2%
Block %
5.0%
Turnover %
8.9%
Usage %
0.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
16.3
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.9
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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
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
FantasyDraft
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Sorare
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More Fantasy News
Rough night Friday
FDenver Nuggets
March 29, 2024
Watson posted zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt), three rebounds and one assist in 11 minutes during Friday's 111-98 loss to the Timberwolves.
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Top scorer off bench in victory
FDenver Nuggets
March 8, 2024
Watson totaled 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-4 3Pt), four rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal across 17 minutes during Thursday's 115-109 victory over Boston.
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Makes little impact in defeat
FDenver Nuggets
February 10, 2024
Watson accumulated four points (2-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt), three rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal over 20 minutes during Friday's 135-106 loss to the Kings.
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Starting against Kings
FDenver Nuggets
February 9, 2024
Watson will start Friday's game against the Kings.
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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.