NBA Game Man | Won the championship in his rookie season, and the Nuggets Spider-Man has a promising future
In the 2022 NBA Draft, the Nuggets selected Payton Watson from UCLA with the 30th pick in the first round. It was clear that Watson was not unhappy with his pick, saying: "I know I have the quality of a first-round pick, and as a No. 30 rookie, I don't believe that the first 29 players are better than myself, so I will prove my quality next. Watson is a small forward with a height of 2.03 meters and an arm span of 2.14 meters, a veritable Spider-Man, and some experts believe that he can grow into a player like Shaun Marion.
With the Nuggets' victory, every player on the team received a lot of attention. It is worth mentioning that the Nuggets' championship roster has two rookie players, one is Braun and the other is Watson. As rookies of the same team, the two will naturally be compared. As it stands, Braun has a head start with the Nuggets, but Watson also has a promising future.
In last year's draft, the Nuggets selected Braun with the 21st pick in the first round. Braun had just won the championship with the University of Kansas, which defeated the University of North Carolina in the NCAA finals after trailing by 15 points in the first half, and Braun started with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Watson also comes from the NCAA school, and Watson did a lot of impressive blocks, steals and overall defense at UCLA. However, UCLA had mediocre results last year, which is why Watson was not selected until the 30th pick. Braun plays as shooting guard and Watson as a small forward. Although Watson showed his excellent defensive ability in college, the Nuggets had too many wings, in addition to Gordon, Bruce Brown, Porter Jr., and Jeff Green, so Watson did not have a chance to play and could only train in the Development League.
Braun played in 76 regular season games, averaging 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.5 minutes per game. Braun played 19 games in the playoffs, averaging 13 minutes per game, with 3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists. The highlight of the playoffs was the Finals G3, Braun played 19 minutes, shooting 7 of 8 with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, 15 points is also the highest score besides Jokic and Huangli.
It wasn't until the end of the season when Malone began to rotate most of his main players that Watson got a chance. He played in 23 regular season games, averaging 3.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists in eight minutes per game. Watson played in five games in the playoffs, averaging 2.8 minutes per game, with 1 point, 0.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists.
Judging from his first season, Braun was ahead of Watson in every way, but the media is still very optimistic about Watson's prospects. While Watson hasn't played much this season, Nuggets coaches, players and staff are optimistic that Watson could play a major role next season, especially if Brown leaves as a free agent, Zach Lowe reported. If Watson can seize this opportunity, he will most likely be on the Nuggets' core rotation next season.
In fact, in a separate tryout before the draft, Watson's size and defensive instincts impressed Malone. Watson's static talent is a Spider-Man, with a height of 2.03 meters and an arm span of 2.14 meters, almost the most popular forward template in the small-ball era, and this combination of height and reach usually means multi-position defensive attributes. Coupled with enough athletic ability, Watson has the ability to change defenses indefinitely.
Watson can use his height and reach to fully interfere with the shots and shots of the defender holding the ball, and at the same time not suffer in footwork, even a 55-open situation, just like Sean Marion once was.
In the game against the Suns, Watson can switch back and forth between Biyombo and Paul or Payne; Against the Warriors, he can either chase dreams against the position or switch to Curry, while giving these guards with the ball considerable defensive pressure. Curry shot 1-of-6 from the field on his defense.
After the game against the Warriors, Malone said: "I'm happy to be able to play the Braun and Watson rookies in the final minutes against the Warriors who have won so many titles, and it was a great experience for them to play against the defending champions at a crucial moment.
The Nuggets hope that Watson, a former five-star high school student, can become another key puzzle piece in addition to Gordon and Porter Jr. to support the strength of the Nuggets' forward line. Some have compared Watson to the Nuggets' Kuminga, who want Watson to be the former Jerami Grant, and also want him to achieve the growth that Vanderbilt did not cash in with the Nuggets.
During the Nuggets' championship parade, Jokic's two older brothers kissed Watson, which flattered Watson. Braun and Watson will earn just over $5 million in wages for next season. Braun, 22, has come out on the top, and Watson, 20, needs to catch up.