Peyton Watson made all kinds of headlines, and set all kinds of expectations, when he committed to play for UCLA in the summer 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 every major all-star showcase (although none of them was actually held because of the COVID-19 pandemic), and he was ranked No. 8 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. Watson spent the summer of 2021 helping the U.S. win gold at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia, and he came to Westwood hoping to carry all that momentum into his freshman season.
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That’s when reality hit. Watson arrived on campus raw and out of shape, largely because of his pandemic-disrupted senior season of high school. Moreover, the Bruins were returning all five starters from a team that had just reached the Final Four. As a result, Watson not only failed to make the starting lineup, but he also barely cracked the rotation. He ended up averaging 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.7 minutes. He played all of three minutes and shot 0 of 3 in the Bruins’ Sweet 16 loss to North Carolina.
Watson came in with a reputation for being a dynamic scorer, but he converted just 32.2 percent from the floor and 22.6 percent from 3. Defensively, he was overmatched, both physically and mentally. It’s not entirely shocking that a freshman (even one as highly touted as Watson) couldn’t beat out the returning starters, but it’s also noteworthy that Watson logged fewer minutes than 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Jaylen Clark, who was a much stronger defender.
Often, when such a heralded recruit gets so little playing time, he and members of his inner circle can become a major disruption. According to UCLA coach Mick Cronin, however, that was never the case with Watson and his family. “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 were the ninth man on their college team also return for their sophomore season (possibly at another school). When Watson committed to UCLA, however, he was up front about his one-and-done intentions, and he followed through on those despite his meager production. “We were always on the same page with that,” Cronin says. That gamble appeared to pay off when was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 30th overall pick Thursday, but no one really knows what to expect from here. Everyone agrees Watson has great potential. But will he ever reach it? And if so, how long that will take?
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NBA teams were hoping to get a better sense of those answers during the predraft combine in Chicago. He measured and tested well (6-8 in shoes, 7-0.5 wingspan, 33.5-inch vertical leap), but he declined to play in the full-court scrimmages, although he did hold a pro day later in May. That’s not much of a sample size, but it was just enough for Watson to hear his name called on draft night. “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 adds, “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 of many questions Watson will have to answer in the years ahead. If the Nuggets understand the risk they are taking by drafting him, so too does he understand the risk he took by entering the draft in 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)
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