Peyton Watson

Watson attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California, joining the varsity team as a freshman.^[2] After coming off the bench earlier in his career,^[3] he assumed a leading role in his junior season.^[4] He averaged 23.2 points and eight rebounds per game,^[5] earning Moore League MVP honors.^[6] He was named to the rosters for the McDonald's All-American, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.^[7]

Watson was a consensus five-star recruit, one of the top small forwards and the highest-ranked player from California in the 2021 recruiting class.^[8] On July 27, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for UCLA over offers from Arizona, Gonzaga, Michigan, Oregon and Washington.^[9] He was frank with the Bruins coaching staff that he intended to be a one-and-done player, leaving for the NBA after one year in college.^[10]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Peyton Watson SF	Long Beach, CA	Long Beach Poly (CA)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jul 27, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 12  247Sports: 8  ESPN: 12
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "UCLA 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021. "2021 UCLA Bruins Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.

As a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2021–22, Watson arrived out of shape, primarily due to his high school senior season being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[10] He joined an experienced UCLA group that had advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament a year earlier.^[11] All five starters returned, and he received no guarantees about his playing time.^[12] Watson's defense was more advanced than his offense. However, the Bruins had other established scorers.^[11] He received honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.^[13] He averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game, and made just 32.2% of his field goals and 22.6% of his 3-pointers. His playing time was sporadic, and he logged 10 minutes or more in just two out of the last seven games of the season.^[14] After the season, Watson declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.^[15]

Watson was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in first round of the 2022 NBA draft with the 30th overall pick.^[16] He was then traded to the Denver Nuggets along with two future second-round picks for JaMychal Green and a 2027 protected first-round draft pick.^[17] Possessing a wide wingspan, Watson was projected as a long-term project and expected to spend time developing with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League.^[18] Watson ended his rookie season as an NBA champion when the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

Watson represented the United States at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Latvia. He averaged four points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal.^[19]

Source: ^[20]

Watson's father, Julio, is a medical device representative, and his mother is an event planner. He has a younger brother, Christian, who plays basketball at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and a younger sister, Jolie Grace.^[21]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peyton Watson.

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
• UCLA Bruins bio
• USA Basketball bio