Just when an injury found its way into the mix again – this time with Aaron Gordon and a right hamstring injury that will keep him out for 4 to 6 weeks – the Denver Nuggets proved they could weather the storm, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 125-115 on Nov. 25 to improve to 13-4 on the young season.

Even with a player like Gordon sidelined, Denver’s role players have showcased that they are capable of rising to the occasion when needed. 

And Peyton Watson has showcased that capability better than anyone so far this season. 

Not only has Watson woven himself into the starting lineup following Gordon and Christian Braun’s injuries, but he has now proven he can be a consistent contributor and even a game-changing player for Denver. 

Last night against the Grizzlies, Watson scored 27 points on 50% shooting from the field. This was the second game this season in which he erupted for a high-scoring total – the other time coming just last week against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 19, as he scored 32 points on 68.4% shooting. 

“It feels good, it feels good,” Watson said during a postgame interview. “I mean, I feel like if I get that many looks, I gotta connect on at least half of them. I feel like there was more I should’ve made tonight. So that’s just for me to keep working on and for me to rep out in the gym. But the confidence is there…After two misses, that doesn’t faze me. That doesn’t affect me. And it also doesn’t affect my teammates trying to find me.” 

Watson is averaging a career-high 9.8 points per game, and if he continues playing the way he did against Memphis, that number will only increase, especially as he continues to settle into a longer-term starter role. 

“[Watson’s] great,” Tim Hardaway Jr. said in a postgame interview. “I mean, he’s doing an amazing job of just [carrying] over from what he’s been working on in the summer, from what I’ve seen. And just continuing to have that passion and that desire to go out there and make plays for the team, whether it’s on [the] defensive end or offensive end.” 

Watson has started seven games this year and will undoubtedly continue to do so moving forward as the Nuggets prepare for this stretch without two of their full-time starters in the lineup. 

The Nuggets’ next take the court against the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 28. That game will be played in Denver before the team travels to Arizona to play the Phoenix Suns the next day on Nov. 29.