 Watson withUCLA in 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 8 – Denver Nuggets | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2002-09-11)September 11, 2002 (age 22) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College | UCLA (2021–2022) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2022: 1st round, 30th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by theOklahoma City Thunder | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2022–present | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | →Grand Rapids Gold | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Peyton Tyler Watson (born September 11, 2002[1]) is an American professionalbasketball player for theDenver Nuggets of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). AMcDonald's All-American in high school, he played one season ofcollege basketball for theUCLA Bruins. Watson was selected in the first round of the2022 NBA draft with the 30th overall pick.
Watson attendedLong Beach Polytechnic High School inLong Beach, California, joining thevarsity team as a freshman.[2] After coming off the bench earlier in his career,[3] he assumed a leading role in his junior season.[4] He averaged 23.2 points and eightrebounds per game,[5] earningMoore League MVP honors.[6] He was named to the rosters for theMcDonald's All-American,Jordan Brand Classic andNike Hoop Summit.[7]
Watson was a consensus five-starrecruit, one of the topsmall forwards and the highest-ranked player from California in the 2021 recruiting class.[8] On July 27, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball forUCLA over offers fromArizona,Gonzaga,Michigan,Oregon andWashington.[9] He was frank with the Bruins coaching staff that he intended to be aone-and-done player, leaving for the NBA after one year in college.[10]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peyton Watson SF | Long Beach, CA | Long Beach Poly (CA) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jul 27, 2020 | |
Star ratings:Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals:12 247Sports:8 ESPN:12 | ||||||
Sources:
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As a freshman at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles in2021–22, Watson arrived out of shape, primarily due to his high school senior season being disrupted by theCOVID-19 pandemic.[10] He joined an experienced UCLA group that had advanced to theFinal Four of theNCAA tournament a year earlier.[11] All five starters returned, and he received no guarantees about his playing time.[12] Watson's defense was more advanced than his offense. However, the Bruins had other established scorers.[11] He received honorable mention for thePac-12 All-Freshman Team.[13] He averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game, and made just 32.2% of hisfield goals and 22.6% of histhree-pointers. His playing time was sporadic, and he logged 10 minutes or more in just two out of the last seven games of the season.[14] After the season, Watsondeclared for the NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[15]
Watson was selected by theOklahoma City Thunder in first round of the2022 NBA draft with the 30th overall pick.[16] He was then traded to theDenver Nuggets along with two future second-round picks forJaMychal Green and a 2027 protected first-round draft pick.[17] Possessing a wide wingspan, Watson was projected as a long-term project and expected to spend time developing with theGrand Rapids Gold of theNBA G League.[18] Watson ended his rookie season as anNBA champion when the Nuggets defeated theMiami Heat in theNBA Finals.
Watson represented theUnited States at the2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Latvia. He averaged four points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[19]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23† | Denver | 23 | 2 | 8.1 | .492 | .429 | .550 | 1.6 | .5 | .1 | .5 | 3.3 |
| 2023–24 | Denver | 80 | 4 | 18.6 | .465 | .296 | .670 | 3.2 | 1.1 | .5 | 1.1 | 6.7 |
| Career | 103 | 6 | 16.3 | .468 | .307 | .651 | 2.9 | .9 | .4 | 1.0 | 5.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023† | Denver | 5 | 0 | 2.7 | .400 | .500 | — | .8 | .2 | .0 | .2 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | Denver | 10 | 0 | 9.0 | .250 | .250 | .500 | 1.5 | .4 | .0 | .6 | 1.8 |
| Career | 15 | 0 | 6.9 | .276 | .286 | .500 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | .5 | 1.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | UCLA | 32 | 0 | 12.7 | .322 | .226 | .688 | 2.9 | .8 | .6 | .6 | 3.3 |
Source:[20]
Watson's father, Julio, is amedical device representative, and his mother is anevent planner. He has a younger brother, Christian, who plays basketball at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and a younger sister, Jolie Grace.[21]
