Observations from the Denver Nuggets’ 98-93 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Elementary, Watson: That’s it, we’re adequately convinced. Peyton Watson is ready for his second year of pro basketball. The UCLA product has shown enough through two games on the offensive end (38 points on 12-of-23 shooting) that he may very well not suit up again in Las Vegas. For Watson, it wasn’t just that he scored efficiently, it was the way that he did it: attacking the rim, pulling up at the elbows for jumpers and even hitting a silky step-back on an isolation play in the first half Sunday night. That is what the Nuggets wanted to see from Watson in Vegas. While it’s mildly troubling that he didn’t do much else Sunday night — Watson had just two rebounds for a Denver squad that struggled on the glass vs. Atlanta — that part of his game is already well established.
Strawther shows toughness: If took six quarters, but Julian Strawther finally had a signature moment at Summer League. Or was it two? The first came with the Nuggets’ first-round pick dove for a loose ball and face-planted into the floor so hard it could be heard throughout the gym. Then, after briefly getting tended to by trainers on the bench, the 6-foot-7 wing re-entered the game and promptly erased a Kobe Bufkin dunk attempt at the rim that was easily the defensive play of the night. The offense may not be there yet — Strawther is just 6 of 24 from the field through two games in Vegas — but the effort definitely is. Go ahead and ask coach Michael Malone which one interests him most.
Finding the stroke: It appears Collin Gillespie has found his legs — at least from outside. After a sub-par Summer League opener in his first game in more than a year, the Villanova product looked confident and fluid shooting from range Sunday. Given room to fire by a sagging Atlanta defense early on, Gillespie knocked down 3 of 4 from 3-point range in the opening quarter, two coming off ball screens, and finished with 16 points and five 3s total. As far the decision-making? Well, that remains a work in progress for the young point guard. Passing up a wide-open layup on the back end of a nifty give-and-go was a head-scratcher. And four turnovers in 17 first-half minutes just isn’t up to snuff. Two games in, rookie Jalen Pickett (10 assists, four turnovers total) has been the steadier playmaker.
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