2022 NBA Draft: Denver Nuggets select Peyton Watson, UCLA small forward

UCLA small forward Peyton Watson is off the board in the 2022 NBA Draft. With the final pick of the first round, Watson was selected by the Denver Nuggets, who acquired the pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A five-star recruit in the Class of 2021, Peyton Watson came to UCLA with the expectation that he’d be a one-and-done. That’s exactly what happened. After one season with the Bruins, Watson has been taken in the NBA Draft. That one season was a successful season. UCLA went 27-8, making it to the Sweet Sixteen. That’s where UCLA fell to North Carolina.

His season and career-high in scoring came in the Good Sam Empire Classic against Bellarmine. He had 19 points in that game. Peyton Watson has also represented the United States of America at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

On the 2021-22 season, Peyton Watson averaged 3.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. He shot 32.2% from the field and 22.6% from three-point range.

Prior to the NBA Draft, there was a lot of debate about Watson’s draft stock. After all, he was a can’t-miss prospect. Then, at UCLA, he came in off the bench and didn’t put up overly impressive numbers. In many ways, drafting him is a gamble on his potential. ESPN, in a mock draft, felt he would go in the second round at 33rd overall.

“We are very excited for Peyton,” Mick Cronin said in a statement. “We all know he has tremendous upside as a basketball player, and we were fortunate to have him in Westwood. Peyton came to work every day with a great attitude and a burning desire to improve himself as a player. Peyton is a great teammate and a wonderful person, and we thank him for choosing UCLA. He will always be a part of the Bruin family. We look forward to watching him and rooting for him as a professional for many years to come.”

Peyton Watson has all the raw talent and upside in the world. The question is going to be whether he can put it all together at the next level.