The Denver Nuggets have had an undeniably strong start to the season, winning 13 of their first 17 games. This includes a stretch in late October and early November in which they won 10 out of 11 games, with Nikola Jokic playing like he could be on a collision course toward a fourth MVP award. 

Another big reason for the Nuggets’ early success this season has been the emergence of starting wing Peyton Watson. Watson has already started seven games this season despite starting just 24 in his previous three seasons in the NBA, and he’s averaging career highs with 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. 

At practice on Thursday, Watson expressed gratitude for the chance to play alongside stars like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and emphasized what an exciting time this is for himself and his family as he’s establishing himself as a legitimate NBA player. 

“I mean, there are no better people to learn from than Jokic and Jamal (Murray),” Watson said. “I mean, they go out there consistently and produce and put up numbers every night, and they look at it as another day in the office."

“Obviously, for me, it's exciting times for me and my family, just because this is a new experience for us. But I'm trying to approach it kind of the same as they are, because at any time, you know, things could go the other way. So I'm just trying to take it with humility.”

Family First

While Watson’s family is no doubt proud of him and happy for his success, the 23-year-old made it clear that they aren’t just gassing his head up and being yes men and women, so to speak. That doesn’t mean they aren’t bringing positivity if Watson has a down night, but they do hold him accountable. 

“I think that the right word is just constructive criticism,” Watson said. “I think that even in games when I play great, there's always things that I can do better. And that's just the dialogue that we've had. But they're super proud of me, super happy, super positive. And they've been that way the whole way through good game, bad game.”

At the end of the day, Watson is just proud to be representing his family’s name at the highest level of the sport.

“I just always think about where I came from,” Watson said. “You know what I'm saying? It was a grind to get into the lineup, and it was a grind to make my name in this NBA. But it's just been a journey, and I'm just happy and grateful for it all.”