Peyton Watson made every kind of headlines, and set every kind of expectations, when he dedicated to play for UCLA in the summertime of 2020. At the time he was a consensus five-star prospect about to enter his senior season at Long Beach Poly High School. The following spring, he was named to the rosters of each main all-star showcase (though none of them was truly held due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and he was ranked No. 8 within the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. Watson spent the summer season of 2021 serving to the U.S. win gold on the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia, and he got here to Westwood hoping to hold all that momentum into his freshman season.
That’s when actuality hit. Watson arrived on campus uncooked and off form, largely due to his pandemic-disrupted senior season of highschool. Moreover, the Bruins have been returning all 5 starters from a workforce that had simply reached the Final Four. As a outcome, Watson not solely did not make the beginning lineup, however he additionally barely cracked the rotation. He ended up averaging 3.3 factors and a pair of.9 rebounds in 12.7 minutes. He performed all of three minutes and shot 0 of three within the Bruins’ Sweet 16 loss to North Carolina.
Watson got here in with a fame for being a dynamic scorer, however he transformed simply 32.2 p.c from the ground and 22.6 p.c from 3. Defensively, he was overmatched, each bodily and mentally. It’s not completely surprising {that a} freshman (even one as extremely touted as Watson) couldn’t beat out the returning starters, nevertheless it’s additionally noteworthy that Watson logged fewer minutes than 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Jaylen Clark, who was a a lot stronger defender.
Often, when such a heralded recruit will get so little enjoying time, he and members of his interior circle can turn into a serious disruption. According to UCLA coach Mick Cronin, nonetheless, that was by no means the case with Watson and his household. “He couldn’t have handled it any better,” Cronin says. “He had a great attitude in practice every day. You never had to worry about any outside influences. I told him, ‘Don’t let any of it bother you, because you’re going to be highest draft pick in here. So just work hard and get better every day.’”
Most freshmen who have been the ninth man on their faculty workforce additionally return for his or her sophomore season (probably at one other faculty). When Watson dedicated to UCLA, nonetheless, he was up entrance about his one-and-done intentions, and he adopted via on these regardless of his meager manufacturing. “We were always on the same page with that,” Cronin says. That gamble appeared to repay when was chosen by the Denver Nuggets with the thirtieth general decide Thursday, however nobody actually is aware of what to anticipate from right here. Everyone agrees Watson has nice potential. But will he ever attain it? And in that case, how lengthy that can take?
NBA groups have been hoping to get a greater sense of these solutions through the predraft mix in Chicago. He measured and examined nicely (6-8 in footwear, 7-0.5 wingspan, 33.5-inch vertical leap), however he declined to play within the full-court scrimmages, though he did maintain a professional day later in May. That’s not a lot of a pattern dimension, nevertheless it was simply sufficient for Watson to listen to his identify known as on draft night time. “He has a huge upside,” one NBA scout says. “UCLA had so many seniors. If this kid had come back, he probably would have been a lottery pick next year.” Another scout provides, “He’s got all the physical tools. The question that you keep coming back to is the basketball IQ. Does he have a good enough feel for the game?”
That is one among many questions Watson must reply within the years forward. If the Nuggets perceive the danger they’re taking by drafting him, so too does he perceive the danger he took by getting into the draft within the first place. “People get confused about production at the college level. The NBA is more concerned with how someone is going to be able to do at their level,” Cronin says. “Peyton brings to the table a lot of what the NBA is looking for. They want guys who are 6-7 to 6-9 with athleticism, size and length. That’s why he’s the mystery man of the draft. The NBA guys are thinking, if this guy stays at UCLA for three years, he’s a top 10 pick. So why wouldn’t I take him now?”
(Photo: Kelvin Kuo / USA Today)
What the Denver Nuggets are getting in Peyton Watson, who performed sparingly at UCLA
Source: Panapanahon News
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