Anton Watson is getting another opportunity with the Lakers after a productive season with their South Bay affiliate.
The Los Angeles Lakers are bringing a familiar forward into training camp as they continue evaluating players within their development system.
The team announced Sept. 17 that it signed Anton Watson, who spent last season with the South Bay Lakers. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward appeared in 50 games, including 34 starts, and averaged 11.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 27.3 minutes.
Those numbers give Watson a recent body of work within the organization as he prepares for another opportunity at the NBA level. He contributed across several categories while receiving consistent playing time, providing the Lakers with an extended look at his game before this signing.
The Lakers did not disclose contract terms in their announcement. The signing alone does not establish that Watson will be on the regular-season roster.
Watson Returns With South Bay Experience
Watson’s familiarity with the organization could help him entering camp. Rather than introducing himself through a brief workout, he arrives after a full season with the Lakers’ G League affiliate.
His 34 starts suggest he held a substantial role for South Bay. His production also extended beyond scoring, with nearly three assists and more than a steal per game.
For a forward attempting to earn an NBA opportunity, that versatility matters. Coaches need to know whether a player can contribute when he is not receiving frequent shots or having plays called for him.
Watson’s next evaluation will involve how those contributions translate against NBA competition. Making timely passes, finishing possessions with rebounds and avoiding defensive mistakes can help a camp player remain useful alongside more established teammates.
His South Bay averages provide a starting point for that assessment. They do not guarantee that the same production will carry over against bigger, quicker opponents.
Former Gonzaga Forward Faces Next Test
Boston selected Watson with the 54th pick in the 2024 NBA draft following his five-season college career at Gonzaga.
He earned first-team All-West Coast Conference honors as a senior, giving him experience in a successful college program before beginning his professional career.
Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (13) and Gonzaga Bulldogs forwardAntonWatson(22) watch the final seconds of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, March 29, 2024, during the midwest regional semifinals at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs, 80-68.Now, the immediate challenge is earning the Lakers’ confidence during practices and any preseason opportunities he receives. Training camp offers a chance to demonstrate habits that can be harder to measure through a season’s statistical averages.
For Watson, that means showing he can understand assignments, respond to coaching and contribute within a role that may change from one lineup to another.
The Lakers already have substantial information from his South Bay season. Camp will add a different kind of evidence: how he performs around their NBA players and against the competition he hopes to join.
Watson has earned another look. What he does with that opportunity will determine whether this signing becomes the next step toward a larger role.
