Cavaliers' Peyton Watson Called Out for Poor Start to Season

The Peyton Watson era for the Cleveland Cavaliers is not off to a good start. 

Watson is averaging 10.8 points per game and shooting just 37.1% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc in a Cleveland uniform.

NBA analyst Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report says Watson needs to play better moving forward. Otherwise, the Cavaliers will regret trading for the swingman. 

Cleveland acquired Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade deal. Watson signed a four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers. The contract includes a player option and a trade kicker.

For the Nuggets last season, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from beyond the arc and 73.0% from the free-throw line.

The Cavaliers are 4-3. They don't look like a title contender. After all, they have already blown two big leads this season. 

Cleveland was up by 29 points against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first game of the season. Philadelphia fans were booing LeBron James and Co. and it appeared Cleveland would begin the season 1-0.

However, the 76ers erased the huge deficit and won by a final score of 114-106. It was an embarrassing loss for Cleveland. 

The 76ers outscored the Cavaliers 37-21 in the third quarter and 32-16 in the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers also blew a double-digit lead against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5. It doesn't  look like Cleveland has learned anything from the 2026 playoffs. 

Cleveland made the conference finals last season for the first time without James on the roster since 1992. The Cavaliers should have won Game 1 in New York against the Knicks at MSG. Trailing by 22 points with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Knicks had Jalen Brunson go at James Harden on defense and it got ugly for Harden and Co.

The result was a 44-11 flurry by New York in the fourth quarter and overtime, completing one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history with a 115-104 victory.

There is still plenty of time for Watson and Co. to turn things around. Watson, though, has to get healthy first, as he's currently out with a hamstring injury. It's a worrying development given how much trouble his hamstring gave him last season in Denver. 

The Cavaliers face the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight in OKC. Cleveland lost to OKC on Monday at home by a final score of 117-112.