The Denver Nuggets have navigated one of the more turbulent seasons in recent franchise memory. During this season, they've been without Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson for significant stretches of the season. In fact, Sunday's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers was the first time Denver's starters had played a full game together since November.
Rather than dwell on the adversity, Watson returned from a six-week hamstring injury with an intriguing perspective on what the difficult stretch ultimately meant for the team.
“I think it's good to get punched in the mouth sometimes. I think we needed that,” said Watson. “That gives us a different level of grind, a chip on your shoulder, and it gave us some humility too.”
Peyton Watson and Nuggets hitting their stride
Watson made his return Sunday against the Trail Blazers. Even on a minutes restriction, Watson would put up a solid 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
The hamstring injury Watson sustained was unfortunate, as he was playing the best basketball in his young career. Over the 18 games prior to getting hurt, Watson was averaging 22.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 45.7% from three.
“Even when I first got injured, the coaches never, ever forgot about me,” Watson said. “They always, every day, asked me how I felt. They talked to me about ways they couldn't wait to implement me when I got back into the lineup, and just ways they were gonna utilize me once the team was fully healthy.”
The coaching staff is making sure not to rush Watson back, however. He will be out Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns, as the team will be on the first night of a back-to-back. They will play the Dallas Mavericks the following day on Wednesday.
With the playoffs approaching, the Nuggets roster is finally intact. It seems like they could be hitting their stride at the right time.
