As soon as Christian Braun went down with his ankle injury, it was always likely that Peyton Watson would enter the Denver Nuggets starting lineup as a replacement. A guy known more for his defense and less for his scoring ability, this added even more length to the lineup.
But on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, it appeared that Watson had learned quite a few new things. After scoring 19 total points over his previous four games, the UCLA product poured in a career-high 32 points, while also grabbing 12 rebounds to help his team to yet another victory.
Let’s expand a bit on Watson’s big night. It isn’t every day that a player averaging 6.1 ppg comes in and erupts for 30+.
A Big Night for Peyton Watson
Most of the Denver Nuggets headlines last night were not talking about Nikola Jokić and his third-straight triple-double. The headlines were stolen by Peyton Watson, a career 5.0 PPG scorer that had the night of his basketball life.
Watson is still considered something of a prospect by Denver. A player that comes in and plays big on the defensive end, he’s still struggled to consistently score points. So much so, that last night marked just the third time in four seasons that he’s gone for 20+ points in a night.
When you look at the style of play, there are certainly similarities to the great Tony Allen and his days in Memphis. He never averaged more than nine points per game, but the defensive clamps were something else. The length and athleticism used to a full advantage.
Allen’s career-high during his run with the Grizzlies was 27 points. These are players that impact the game in ways other than scoring. So when the time comes for some extra points to come in, it means that it would be hard to pick against them on a given night.
It also worth noting that Aaron Gordon missed the game as well. That played a small part in Watson getting a few additional touches, but even still. 32 points on 13-19 FG. Five threes after making two total in the previous nine games.
The New Orleans Pelicans never had a chance.
Can Peyton Watson Sustain Any of This?
On the other side, Derik Queen had a big night for the Pelicans. The rookie big man had a career-night of his own, scoring his first 30-burger of the campaign. He nearly had a double-double, while adding two blocks and two steals. On a night where Zion Williamson returned to the lineup, he still shined the brightest.
Of course, a little less talk will be about Queen from this one. Peyton Watson going off and getting Denver their 11th win in 14 games, while handing New Orleans their 13th loss in 15 games to begin the campaign.
So long as Christian Braun remains out of the lineup, there will be opportunities for Watson to get a few more shots. He started 18 games a season ago, and that number will likely wind up increased this time around.
While it might be hard to envision the Nuggets forward regularly scoring 30, there are certainly some positive takeaways from last night’s effort.
Watson was attacking the defense. He wasn’t hesitating on his jumpers. So long as the confidence remains, the versatile forward will be making consistent headlines.
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