When Nikola Jokic went down with a knee injury earlier this month against the Miami Heat, many thought that the Denver Nuggets’ season was doomed. Fortunately, it was announced that Jokic would only miss four weeks due to his injury, which was a huge sigh of relief for the Nuggets organization.
Many expected Denver to fall in the Western Conference without their MVP. Given the stacked state of the West, and that replacing someone of Jokic’s caliber is nearly impossible, the thought of the Nuggets remaining afloat was wishful thinking.
They have done just that. They have gone 9-5 in the 14 games Jokic has missed and are still the third seed in the West. They are two and a half games clear of the fourth-place Rockets. Denver’s depth has been able to shine thanks to the great coaching of David Adelman, but one player has taken center stage.
Peyton Watson has been an revelation for the Nuggets
Prior to this season, Watson was a primarily seen as a defensive specialist. He was not good enough offensively to play significant minutes, but if you needed energy and athleticism on the defensive end, he could give you spot minutes. This season though, Watson has evolved in a huge way.
The young forward is having a career-season across the board. He is averaging nearly 15 points per game, five rebounds, and one steal per game on 51 percent from the field, and 42 percent from three-point range on about four attempts per game. Denver has a +8.5 net rating with him on the court this season.
Since Jokic has gone down though, Watson is averaging 22 PPG, six rebounds, and three assists. He also has a true-shooting percentage of 61 percent during that span. He has remained efficient even with the increased on-ball role.
Watson looks so much more comfortably offensively. His jump shot has greatly improved, but he has shown off an improved handle, and is getting to his spots much easier. He is doing all of this while remaining a high-level defender. He is becoming the true two-way forward that Denver has been missing over the last couple seasons, outside of Aaron Gordon.
Watson has finally realized his potential and because of that, he has firmly entrenched himself into the Most Improved Player conversation. If he can keep this up when Jokic comes back, the Nuggets become that much more dangerous and Watson could be the X-factor for their championship dreams.