The defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets did not have a very loud offseason. Of course, a team doesn't need to right after they just won the whole thing. They lost their sixth man Bruce Brown to the Indiana Pacers in free agency. Heady veteran Jeff Green left town to head back to Houston to guide that young team and help them grow as professionals. The Nuggets did not do a whole lot to replace them in free agency either. All the Nuggets really did was bring back Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan and sign Justin Holiday and Jay Huff to minimum contracts.

Instead, the Nuggets are banking on internal development from their young players. They already saw that strategy bear fruit in the postseason when Christian Braun developed into a key rotation player as a rookie. Following that blueprint, the Nuggets traded future picks for current ones and drafted Gonzaga's Julian Strawther, Penn State's Jalen Pickett, and Clemson's Hunter Tyson in the 2023 NBA Draft. They also have former Villanova point guard Collin Gillespie waiting in the wings as he returns from a torn ACL. But there is another player on the Nuggets that looks like he'll be a rotation player and could use a big preseason to solidify his case for minutes. That would be Peyton Watson.

Dunks and defense?

Nuggets, Peyton Watson

Peyton Watson did not get much playing time as a rookie. He only took part in 23 games and played roughly 186 minutes in those games. But he did look the part in those minutes. His strong 6-8 200 pound frame and springy athleticism popped in those few rookie appearances. Especially on defense where he was able to guard up or down the floor against any position. He even got the best of De'Aaron Fox on a switch last season.

Watson is also an explosive and eager cutter on offense without the ball. He doesn't have a ton of reliable go-to skills outside of that at this stage of his career, but defense and reigning hell at the rim is a good start. He was able to piece both of those skills together in a game against the Golden State Warriors a year ago. He played 20 minutes in that game and finished with eight points, five rebounds, and three blocks on 4-6 shooting.

Notice how practically all of his buckets were at the rim and all of them came either on putbacks or on cuts. Luckily for him, those type of buckets are sustainable playing alongside Nikola Jokic. Jokic is the best passer in the NBA and is going to create an open floor for himself and the rest of his teammates thanks to his prowess as both a shooter and passer. If a teammate like Watson cuts, Jokic is going to find him and likely lead to that teammate getting a dunk.

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Room for more?

Peyton Watson, Nuggets

But, there's more to Peyton Watson's game than just dunks. Watson was able to dip into the full extent of his bag during Summer League this July. While his defense and athleticism still popped like it did in the regular season, he flashed some skill playmaking and scoring as well, including in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks' summer league team where Watson scored 23 points.

https://twitter.com/IQfor3/status/1677452635832475651

The Nuggets won't likely ask Watson to do much with the ball in his hands, but having these skills can't hurt either and is great for Watson's overall development.

Nuggets heading into 2023-24 season

With Jeff Green off to Houston, there is room in Denver's rotation for another big wing that can help with depth behind Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon. Peyton Watson looks ready to take those minutes Green left behind. If Watson shines in the preseason, he'll be a lock to get those and be a regular in Denver's rotation.