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CLEVELAND — The Peyton Watson era has begun for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the team is enjoying the early stages of its relationship with the newly acquired starting wing.
Watson started and contributed seven points on 2-of-5 shooting (1-of-4 from 3-point range) in 17 minutes during the Cavs' 124-113 preseason loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday, Oct. 8, at Rocket Arena. Although the game didn't count in the standings, Watson's debut offered a glimpse of what Cleveland hopes he will bring throughout the 2026-27 regular season and into the playoffs next spring.
For now, the Cavaliers' message to Watson is straightforward: Be yourself. He filled the stat sheet with four rebounds, four assists, and two blocked shots against Boston. Like the other starters, he did not play in the second half.
"It's been the best way to kind of be welcomed here for them to embrace me and the player that I am," Watson said. "They obviously wanted me for the unique skill set that I have and the versatility that I bring. So, I think just putting my hand in every pot and kind of doing a little bit of everything has made it easy to adapt to this group. But I'm just going out there and hanging my hat on playing as hard as possible, taking it as serious as possible and just doing all the right things. That's just how I know how to play basketball the right way."
In search of a starting small forward after letting Dean Wade walk in free agency and losing the LeBron James sweepstakes to the Philadelphia 76ers this past July, the Cavs acquired Watson in a sign-and-trade deal with the Denver Nuggets on Aug. 19. As part of the five-team trade the Cavs announced on Aug. 21, they sent small forward Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers and point guard Dennis Schröder to the Charlotte Hornets along with an unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick and a 2032 second-round selection to the Nuggets.
Drafted in the first round (No. 30 overall) out of UCLA in 2022, Watson was a restricted free agent this past offseason. As a rookie, he was a member of the Nuggets when Nikola Jokic led them to the 2023 NBA title. Watson spent all of his first four NBA seasons with Denver. He's 6-8, rangy, and bouncy.
"He fits with this group," Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said. "He just turned 24 years old [on Sept. 11], and he's coming off the best year of his career. So, it's rare and unique that you have an opportunity to add a player of that upside, that magnitude, to this group. He came into a championship environment with Denver. So, every one of his reps has been meaningful. Every minute he's been out on the basketball floor has been with an eye towards playoffs. So, with all those meaningful reps, he comes to our team in the same vein. We're trying to win a championship. He's been with a championship culture [and] understands the importance of possessions, he understands the importance of teamwork and how you build toward the ultimate success. So, we're really high on Peyton."
Key Analysis
Watson is a self-proclaimed "natural extrovert" who has a desire to seize a leadership role with the Cavs. "He's struck the right balance so far between learning what we're doing and then being vocal," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "I would say he's got an infectious spirit about him, like, just an enthusiasm, but he's struck the perfect tone. That's not easy coming into a new team, an established team."
Atkinson has been impressed with Watson's maturity in the early stages of his Cleveland tenure, and the trait has been evident on the defensive end of the floor. "What I've been seeing in the gym is the defense, first of all, the ability to play on the ball and then when he's off the ball," Atkinson said. "He shot 41% from 3 last year. I know it's a one-year sample, but there's a lot of room for growth in his offensive game, especially the way we play, the way we have ball movement, player movement, his cutting ability, offensive rebounding potential, and, of course, the size. Size is important in this league — size and athleticism. The league has definitely trended in that direction. Listen, I love the swing we made [by trading for Watson]. I think he fits also a timeline. That's important. We want sustainable success going forward. He definitely fits into that niche."
The Cavs have a goal to rank in the top 10 in the NBA on both ends of the court in the 2026-27 regular season, Atkinson said. They finished the 2025-26 regular season sixth in offensive rating (118.3) and 15th in defensive rating (114.1) among the league's 30 teams. In the 2026 playoffs, the Cavs were sixth in offensive rating (110.5) and 12th in defensive rating (114.2) among 16 postseason qualifiers.
"We've been super vocal about just new things that we want to implement, ways that we want to defend and what we have an emphasis on this year," Watson said. "I think it's just important for everybody to buy into that and understand what's being asked of us and go out there and try to carry out those tasks."
Cavs forward Evan Mobley, the 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, envisions Watson boosting Cleveland on the perimeter while Mobley and center Jarrett Allen protect the rim. "I think he definitely knows tendencies and knows how his athleticism can affect other players when he's one on one," Mobley said. "That's going to help us a lot. I think he's really smart as well. He has a knack for being in the right place, right area, getting blocks, getting steals that not necessarily any other player on the court would get. So, I think that's going to help us a lot, and we just got to make sure our communication for everyone is there so we can be in our spots and be ready to go."
As far as offense is concerned, Atkinson is still experimenting with how he will use Watson. Atkinson said he would give Watson a grade of "B-plus, A so far" for how well he has absorbed the Cavs' system. Atkinson added Watson "did some really nice things" against the Celtics. "I want to see him in the short roll," Atkinson said. "I want to see him not just floating on the perimeter. He's not a spot-up guy. I think he's a dynamic player. I want to see him rebound and push the ball. I've seen that in camp where he gets it, he pushes it, gets in the paint and can make plays. So, I've seen that, and then cutting and offensive rebounding, that's been an emphasis. I think that fits his profile. He's an active offensive player."
Watson and wing Jaylon Tyson is a pairing the Cavs are excited about. Their first basket against the Celtics occurred when Watson grabbed an offensive rebound and assisted to Tyson on a 3-pointer. "I love it already," Atkinson said of the Watson-Tyson combination. "They complement each other well, I think. Obviously, the size and then defensive chops, too."
Last season, Watson started 40 of the 54 games in which he appeared. He averaged 14.6 points on 49.1% shooting from the field (41.1% on 3-pointers), 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 29.6 minutes. He missed 25 of the final 30 regular-season games and did not appear in the 2026 playoffs. The Nuggets listed him with a hamstring injury. But shortly before Watson suffered the injury, he flourished for the Nuggets and helped them stay afloat while a hyperextended knee sidelined Jokic for 16 games. In a 15-game stretch, Watson averaged 22.1 points on 48.6% shooting from the field (44.3% on 3s), 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 36.1 minutes. The Cavs are banking on it being a sign of what Watson can become with them.
"Competing against him, just seeing the dog he has him, I didn't even know he was 23, 24 years old because he plays as if he's older," Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said. "Obviously, playing on a contender in Denver, understanding what winning is and you guys have heard his comments about just wanting to make winning plays, that's really what you want. You want a guy like that. I think we're all excited to have him."
Originally reported by yahoo.