PHOENIX – It was a mistake Peyton Watson probably won’t make in a year or two. But at this stage in his nascent career, it could be considered a growing pain.
Ultimately, it was a valuable one.
The Nuggets held an improbable 107-106 lead with barely four minutes left Thursday night at Phoenix. Down all five starters, Denver’s deep reserves had momentarily become its bench, and its bench had transformed into its starters. That placed Watson, whose recent emergence has made the final stretch of regular season games bearable, on the floor, in crunch time, against his mentor, Kevin Durant.
As Suns guard Chris Paul rolled down a screen on the right side of the lane, Watson shaded over to defend the weak side. In doing so, Watson left one of the game’s greatest scorers unattended. Paul found Durant waiting in the corner. What followed was the inevitable splash.
Watson, the long, rangy, 6-foot-7 ball of clay Denver drafted late in the first round a year ago, was trying to help. But it was a mental lapse that can’t happen. For a first-year player, it was an understandable miscalculation.
After the game, Durant raved about Watson, the UCLA product he befriended during the pandemic. Durant said he was in the gym with him, working, when the two started to bond.
“Just liked the type of dude he is, man, and we just built the friendship since there,” Durant said. Now the two connect intermittently several times a month, talking about basketball and life.
“I’m rooting for him,” Durant said. “He has a bright future.”
Durant, who’s seen everything the NBA can offer throughout his 16-year NBA career, sat at a podium in front of more than a dozen local media, wearing a black bucket hat donned with “student” on it.
The way he talked about Watson, not to mention his wardrobe, suggested a similar attitude to development.
“He’s a student, he wants to get better, he loves to play, so he has everything right now,” Durant said.
From Durant’s point of view, Watson has the right approach, and for the time being, he’s got an opportunity. During the nebulous time before the Nuggets actually clinched the No. 1 seed and made calculated decisions about when to rest certain players with nagging injuries, Watson seized his chance.
He swatted shots from Durant’s former teammate, Steph Curry, on numerous occasions, flashed a unique skillset in transition and ably defended Durant. In certain transition chances, Watson showed an ability to handle and distribute. It’s a rare, all-encompassing skillset that can look unruly at times but could also serve as the framework of something sustainable and impactful.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone pulled Watson aside on Thursday morning and reinforced what he’d seen from him. Malone said the player Watson’s become, since developing in the G League and maturing as a professional, isn’t the raw prospect Denver drafted last summer. Any notion that he could’ve done earlier what he’s doing now was inaccurate, Malone said. What he needed was seasoning and the leeway to play through mistakes.
“’You have all the physical tools,” Malone told him. “You could be a really good basketball player. My challenge to you: not just be physical, the mental is such a huge part of this game. How disciplined are you?’”
Malone cited recognizing play calls for Durant as part of his maturation, the kind that ultimately sank Denver late Thursday night. Far from dismayed, Thursday was a win for Denver’s development program and a boon for its depth heading into the postseason.
When the team’s fully healthy, it’s fair to wonder whether Watson has earned enough trust this late into the season to warrant any postseason minutes. The fact that it’s even a question is surprising and a testament to how well Watson has acquitted himself in such a short time.
“Just love his demeanor, love what he brings to the game, his enthusiasm for the game,” Durant said.
The Nuggets do, too.
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