The departure of Bruce Brown begs the other member of the Denver Nuggets to step up in terms of shooting. Floor spacing is not going to be ideal for the Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray-led mile-high team given their roster. Moreover, they are unlikely to make a free agency nor pick someone up from waivers given their current salary cap. A lot of it will bank on player development of their young guns and asking them to step up. Peyton Watson is expected to be one of these players. His 2023 NBA Summer League is a good indicator.

Second-year players make the jump in Las Vegas. The rookies become well-adjusted to the NBA. They often get to show that their rookie performances are night and day against people duking it out for a roster spot. This is true for many players who experienced playing an NBA Playoffs game like Sacramento Kings' Keegan Murray. There are more expectations for NBA Championship rookies because their system had just reached its full potential. Michael Malone had developed talents like Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray into the champions that they are without altering too much of the core. He is likely to do the same with Peyton Watson.

Peyton Watson's 2023 NBA Summer League

The young gun took a huge leap from his rookie form. He only saw the court in 23 games and started twice. His minutes were not enough sample size for his capabilities. Only 8.1 minutes were given to him and these became smaller in the playoffs with 2.8 minutes. Peyton Watson had to perform which rewarded him with 3.3 points per game on a fairly solid 49.2% field goal percentage. Furthermore, his three-pointer improved from his college days as he is now shooting a 42.9% three-point percentage. These statistics lack much volume and experience because he was on the G-League team for most of the season.

A massive improvement was to be expected from Watson. He did deliver when given the green light. His scoring numbers went all the way up. Peyton Watson averaged 19 points per game on a highly efficient 52.2% field goal shooting percentage. He has also gotten the hang of being a decent defender. His on-ball defense rewarded him with 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.

The Bruce Brown vacuum for the Nuggets

Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone, and Jamal Murray are looking to make another run at the Larry O'Brien trophy for the 2023-24 season. However, they lost more than they gained during the offseason. Specifically, the departures of Bruce Brown, Jack White, and Jeff Green hurt the team. Watson is expected to emulate the same role that Bruce Brown took over during their championship run. It is still up in the air whether he might be able to do it.

Bruce Brown got 11.5 points per game on a highly efficient 48.3% field goal shooting. His three-point stroke was not ideal but it was serviceable at a 35.8% shooting percentage. Paying him nearly $45 million for two years would be a bit much given the level of production he gave to the team. The Nuggets were just unwilling to have that salary cap dent and lack of flexibility.

Peyton Watson has the best capabilities to step into that shooter role given his style of play. He only needs to work on his shot and its volume. His defense and off-ball movement is already present. The Nuggets just have to make sure that he does not slip back into his UCLA Bruins shooting form where he only knocked down 22.6% of his shots from beyond the arc.