Jamir Watkins arrived as a defensive stopper, quickly earning a standard contract and showcasing elite disruption. His offensive development could unlock a crucial bench role.
When the Washington Wizards were on the clock with the 43rd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, they elected to go a different route than they had for most of this front office’s picks.
Instead of going after an extremely young and unproven piece, they took a flyer on the almost 24-year-old Jamir Watkins.
After spending four seasons at the college level between VCU and Florida State, Watkins made his mark as an athletic wing defender, who intrigued with his athletic upside. With Washington aiming to add talent on defense, they drafted and put Watkins on a two-way contract.
His rookie season marked another impact second round pick by general manager Will Dawkins. On February 26th, the Wizards signed Watkins to a two-year standard contract, worth $3.28 million. He and Tristan Vukcevic both signed new contracts with the team, which had been a rarity for second-round picks in the organization’s past.
Watkins’ minutes were sporadic early in the season, but when he saw the floor, he displayed his defensive prowess. An early-season matchup with Cleveland saw him match up with the Cavaliers' number one option, Donovan Mitchell. Watkins held his own, showing Washington his defense made him worthy of minutes.
Watkins played 50 games in 2025, averaging 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. One area where Watkins got plenty of work, but struggled at times, was his three-point shot. With his defense being a strong point of his game, a consistent shot from the outside completely changes his value as a player. He shot 29% from distance on 3.2 attempts per game, but in the final five games of the season, his attempts doubled to 6.4. The final game of the regular season became Watkins’ career night, scoring 24 points and knocking down five of his nine attempts from the outside.
On numerous occasions, Watkins received the team’s number one assignments for periods of time. In eight minutes guarding LeBron James, Watkins allowed him to make only one shot in six tries. Additionally, Mitchell shot 4 for 11 against Watkins, forcing four turnovers.
Some of the advanced metrics support Watkins’ defensive prowess. Watkins garnered a 3.7 STOP%, which is defined as stops per 100 Possessions: steals, offensive fouls drawn, and blocks recovered by the defense, per 100 possessions. This mark puts him in the 94th percentile, according to Databallr. Also, his 2.5 defelctions per game is 87th percentile for wings.
Watkins’ work as a defender gives him a decent outlook for his future as a rotational piece. If he develops his jumper into something more consistent, he becomes an extremely useful piece off the bench for the Wizards. With the team more aimed at competing for wins next season, Watkins’ role should be interesting to follow.