The Cleveland Cavaliers gained an athletic, versatile wing in Peyton Watson, and there's more than meets the eye with his game than we saw in years past.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be eager to tap into Peyton Watson's growing offensive arsenal, which has shown glimpses of high potential over the last couple of seasons.
Both Peyton Watson and the Cleveland Cavaliers are ready for fresh starts. For the former, it's an opportunity to put his skill set on display more consistently on the offensive side of the ball. The latter, meanwhile, has not had a consistent threat at the wing with that size and length since Lauri Markannen was in town four years ago.
Dean Wade, Max Strus, and De'Andre Hunter were tasked with it, and they've had their fair share of success. But whether it was injuries, matchup issues, or inconsistent volume, Cleveland had a clear-cut deficiency against the top dogs in both conferences.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson tried Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill at the revolving small forward door, too -- which may continue in certain lineups -- but supplementing those players with a guy like Watson can only help, as options are necessary in today's NBA.
Watson isn't going to go out there and be as polished as the Finnish star, but he will undoubtedly be more of a handful for defenses than what the Cavs have had in the years that followed. He'll also be faster, quicker, and more athletic at the position, a boost for a starting five that has been searching for a true answer at the 3 for a long time.
In the latest episode of Courtside with Cavs, Spencer German and I looked over what Watson's role has been like offensively in the past and whether something different may be in store for him in Cleveland:
He's gonna definitely be able to spread his wings more here. I feel like a lot of Peyton Watson in Denver had to do with how that team was constructed. He was cutting a lot. He was spotting up a lot. It ran through Nikola Jokic. It ran through Jamal Murray. It ran through that two-man game. So, it's hard for him to do a lot more in that case.
Here, obviously, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are gonna have the keys to the car. But Peyton's also gonna be able to get more out of his game and do a little bit outside of the box because Kenny Atkinson loves to explore and do those things.
The Cavs would be foolish not to keep Watson firing away from the corners, where he shot just under 51% from last season. However, utilizing his ability to drive off closeouts, attack the paint, pull-up from mid-range, and make plays as an off-ball creator might be the element that puts Cleveland over the top.
Watson also excels in transition as a leaker, so everybody on that court would be wise to keep their eyes open when he's sprinting the floor to spot up or make defenses pay at the rim.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that, in the context of Denver's team, he was limited in what he's capable of doing. With a more traditional offense that the Cavs have with James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley running the show, Watson should thrive.
Remember, this is a player who broke out when he had a more prominent role, averaging 22 points per game over a month while Jokic was injured.
