Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:
NBA Insider
There’s a little more on Peyton Watson’s plate this Thanksgiving.
The 23-year-old has joined Denver’s starting lineup after Christian Braun sprained his ankle against the Clippers on Nov. 12. With Aaron Gordon also out of the starting lineup, Watson has been tasked with taking on some of the game’s best scorers.
“Peyton’s special gift is the way he guards, and he’s got to guard. He’s going to have really tough responsibilities and matchups every night — guys that are paid a lot of money, because they’re really good. That’s going to be his job,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after Wednesday’s practice at Ball Arena. “If he can score, pass and make plays offensively, it’s kind of just the cherry on top. I just expect him to bring great energy defensively and rebound the ball.”
There have been a lot of cherries on the plate, too. Watson is averaging 16.7 points in his last six starts, including a career-high 32-point, 12-rebound performance against the Pelicans and a 27-point game against the Grizzlies when he took a career-high 12 3-pointers. Over the last six games, Watson is 14 for 28 from 3-point range with teams often daring him to shoot.
“I love it. I wish they would keep doing it. Wide-open shots, I’ll take them,” Watson said. “My teammates, they pass me the ball … all my looks were catch-and-shoot. So, that means that everybody was finding me for those looks, and they want me to take those shots. I’m just taking them with confidence. I feel like they’re going in at a great rate.”
The increased role is hardly the only change Watson has been working through over the past couple of weeks. He also changed his representation from Excel Sports Management to Klutch Sports Group ahead of his restricted free agency next summer. Watson first worked with Rich Paul when the Klutch founder and CEO handled his name, image and likeness business during his lone season at UCLA.
“There’s a big opportunity at hand just this year for me in general on the court, and that’s something that I’ve been taking the most seriously, because at the end of the day that’s just going to make my agent’s job, whoever my agent is, easier if I’m doing my job out there on the court,” Watson said.
“Excel did nothing but great things for me – super supportive. It was just more so a business decision on our side. It’s something that we’re happy with because of the support that Klutch shows. Just the love, the attention to detail is really next level. We’re excited to be able to start that path of our journey, but nothing but love to my previous agent.”
Watson said he’s blessed to follow the lead of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray when it comes to navigating success in the NBA. Murray credited Watson with being a “willing learner” following the team’s practice Thursday.
“I got no better people to learn from than Jok and Jamal. They go out there consistently and produce and put up numbers every night. They look at it as another day in the office,” Watson said. “Obviously, for me, it’s exciting times for me and my family just because this is a new experience for us, but I’m trying to approach it kind of the same as they are, because at any time things could go the other way. I’m just trying to take it with humility.”
There’s a lot to be thankful for these days. His parents and younger sister will be in Denver to celebrate the holiday, and Watson is going to have a plate full of yams and macaroni and cheese before he looks to continue his breakout against the Spurs on Friday.
“I just always think about where I came from. It was a grind to get in the lineup. It was a grind to make my name in this NBA, but it’s just been a journey, and I’m happy and grateful for it all.”
What I’m Thinking
Denver’s ability to stay afloat near the top of the Western Conference standings over the next month is going to come down to defense.
The Nuggets are expecting to be without their two most impactful defenders – Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon – through the holidays. That’s led to more opportunities for not just Peyton Watson but Spencer Jones and Zeke Nnaji as well.
“Survive, man,” the Nuggets’ coach David Adelman said of the defensive keys for his team over the next month. “Defensive rebound. We have a lot of small lineups out there. I was super proud of Zeke – six defensive rebounds – but not easy ones, tough ones in traffic. … That’s got to be who we are. I know we’re going to scramble around and compete defensively, but can you finish the possession?”
After going 1-1 in the first two games without two starters, the Nuggets entered Wednesday’s slate at 13-4, tied with the Lakers for the second-best record in the Western Conference. The Nuggets gave up 128 points in a loss to the Kings, who were without Domantas Sabonis, and allowed a Grizzlies team without Ja Morant to score 115.
“Just talking and being more communicative of who is in what spot on defense and stuff like that, that solves a lot of problems,” Jamal Murray said. “You’re not going to always know what other teams are going to do or be as prepared for, so as long as everybody has each other’s backs and is in the right spot and doing it with aggression, we’ll be fine.”
What They’re Saying
The Nuggets’ coach is happy to have three consecutive days off, but isn’t so thrilled with a schedule that sent his team from New Orleans to Houston, back to Denver for one game, off to Memphis for another before a Friday-Saturday back-to-back that includes a flight to Phoenix for Saturday’s game.
“I also think it’s rare to go south and play two games, come back to Denver and then go south again,” Adelman said. “Rarities are happening at a rapid rate around here.”
On a lighter note, Adelman detailed his Thanksgiving plans – plenty of sides, some film study and some video games.
“I’m going to play ‘Call of Duty 7’ with my son, play some zombies. That’s outrageously fun this year. I’m excited to throw on some COD with my son over there. He’s a lot better than I am at it, but it’s fun to follow him around.”
What I’m Following
Denver dropped to third in ESPN’s latest power rankings. The Nuggets sit behind Oklahoma City (17-1) and Detroit (15-2).
Nikola Jokic remained atop The Ringer’s ranking of the top 100 players in the NBA after Tuesday’s update. Jokic, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Spurs center Victor Wembanyama rounded out the top five. Jamal Murray (29), Aaron Gordon (35), Christian Braun (91) and Cam Johnson (94) gave Denver five players in the top 100.
The Mavericks are going to be down another body for a few games. Center Dereck Lively II will miss Dallas’ next three games due to swelling and discomfort in his right foot. The 7-footer had surgery on the foot in July.