Cleveland Cavaliers star Peyton Watson opened up about his hamstring injury ahead of his joining the team.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't land LeBron James this offseason, the team was still able to improve the roster greatly.
The big move was adding star wing Peyton Watson in a massive sign-and-trade deal with the Denver Nuggets. Watson was a highly talked-about player across the NBA due to his strong defense and three-point shooting ability.
Last season with Denver, Watson shot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc, a career-high for him. The wing has gotten better each season, but due to financial issues within the Nuggets' roster, they couldn't afford to keep him.
Now with Cleveland, Watson figures to be one of the central pieces in the Cavaliers quest to bring another title to the city. But before the 2025-26 season ended, there was some concern around Watson, most notably his absence from the Nuggets' playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Watson missed all six games due to a lingering hamstring injury. Like many athletes, Watson pushed himself throughout the year, and it cost him when the games mattered most.
But the veteran seems to be healthy now, opening up about the injury on Michael Porter Jr's "Curious Mike" podcast. Watson got honest about his mindset to sit out the playoff games for the Nuggets.
"It was really, really tough, the entire process of my rehab. Obviously, when I got injured in New York, it was a sickening feeling because I was up to win Most Improved Player and up for a lot of stuff. It really hurt.
"Two or three weeks into my rehab, I felt like they were ramping me back up too quickly, but at the same time, I know that I'm young and I do heal pretty fast. Two or three weeks into my hamstring rehab, I was out there playing with the coaches and felt a little tweak. I felt like that was kind of a minor setback that I didn't really want to accept. I remember feeling pressure to get back and get some games under my belt to warm up before the playoffs," Watson said.
With him entering restricted free agency, there was likely some sort of desire not to badly injure himself before he was healthy enough to return. Hamstring injuries are among some of the trickiest, so Watson played it smart by sitting out.
Now with Cleveland, Watson will have more pressure on him, especially after his four-year, $88 million contract. If he can live up to the deal, the Cavaliers should once again be seen as a true title contender.
With Denver last year, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. He appeared in 54 games for the Nuggets.
