One day into training camp, the Nuggets now have two injured players.
Peyton Watson did not practice Friday due to a soft-tissue hamstring injury that will likely keep him out for Denver’s first two preseason games. The team plays twice in Abu Dhabi next week against the Boston Celtics.
“I think it’s really important that we’re smart about his injury, his rehab, his recovery,” coach Michael Malone said. “Because as much as we want him playing these games, the season opener in probably about four weeks is more important.”
The Nuggets are already fighting uphill against bad injury luck after their first-round draft pick, DaRon Holmes II, suffered a torn Achilles tendon during his first Summer League game in July.
Watson, 22, sustained the hamstring injury a few days before training camp, according to a team spokesperson. He’s coming off a healthy and successful second NBA season, highlighted by 88 blocks off the bench in 80 games played. He carved out a consistent spot in Denver’s rotation until the second round of the playoffs, when Malone stopped playing him for tactical reasons against Minnesota. Watson shot 29.6% from 3-point range during the regular season and 25% in the playoffs, causing opponents to leave him open on the perimeter.
“For me, definitely a big point of (offseason) emphasis was being in the gym shooting this summer. Obviously, I know that’s what I need to improve on, especially playing on this team with somebody as talented as Nikola (Jokic) and Jamal (Murray) and our other guys who like to facilitate,” Watson said Thursday at media day. “So I just spent all summer in the gym shooting with our shooting coach, Mike Penberthy.”
Watson’s exact position is somewhat ambiguous entering the new season, and an injury taking away his preseason would also cost the Nuggets opportunities to experiment. He often played the four with Denver’s bench unit in 2023-24, occupying the dunker spot on offense. But at 6-7, 200 pounds, Watson isn’t built like a traditional power forward. The Nuggets also need serviceable shooters even more than last year. Defensively, he displayed encouraging point-of-attack chops but more clearly established an identity with his rim protection talent, a rarity among wings.
“In today’s NBA, I think versatility is such a key word,” Malone said. “… Can he play along the dunker and mimic what Aaron Gordon does with Nikola? Of course he can. And I think he’s gonna get better and better at that. Can he be a guy that catches on the perimeter and … attacks the rim? We were, I think, 29th in free throw attempts per game last year. Peyton Watson should be living at the foul line. He has to have that attack mindset.”
Malone said the Nuggets have set Watson’s 3-point shooting goal at 35% for 2024-25, which would require more than a 5% improvement.
“Defensively, what I love about Peyton is he can guard Steph Curry one night. He can guard Kevin Durant the next night. He can guard Karl-Anthony Towns maybe the night after,” Malone said. “So I think it’s my job to put him on the best matchup for us. Who can he go out there and stop? And I think it’s important for Peyton to continue to work on his offensive craft, but always come into every game thinking, ‘How can I dominate defensively?’ Because when he does that, that ignites our break, and that’s when I think we’re at our best.”
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