Can Peyton Watson Unlock Another Level as a Shot Creator in Cleveland?

Newly acquired Cavs wing Peyton Watson is sure to bring massive amounts of excitement to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The supremely athletic swing man should breathe much needed life into the team’s chances of competing for a title during the upcoming 2026-27 season after experiencing a true breakout campaign that saw him post averages of 14.6 Points, 4.9 Rebounds, and 2.1 assists, while completing 49.1% of his field goals.

Watson made strides as a perimeter spacer, drilling 41.1% of his 3PT attempts on solid volume at 3.6 attempts per contest. He was extremely effective from the corners, knocking down roughly 52%, which placed him within the 97th percentile among wings in 2026-27. Watson was a catch-and-shoot outlet of the highest accord, converting on a staggering 46.8% of his C&S opportunities.

We know that the bouncy wing can be a stellar off-ball contributor. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray really developed a trust in him over the course of his 4 seasons in Denver and it's not as if they wanted to lose him. Heck, approximately 74% of Watson's field goals were assisted upon, Per Cleaning The Glass.

All of that being the case, there was a leap made in terms of on-ball creation from Watson in 2025-26. When given the opportunities to create for himself, he had a tendency to showcase his abilities as a self starter. It wasn't pretty at times but he did display enough off-the-dribble game to ponder whether or not he could be depended upon as a 2nd option given time to develop.

Statistically speaking, Watson scored roughly 0.67 Points Per Possession in isolation during his 54 appearances for Denver last season. He wasn't all that efficient when so, going just 14/43 (32.6%) in the process. This combined with the fact that he was mostly assisted when scoring could reasonably paint a portrait of dependency but the film itself tells an interesting story.

There was perhaps no more indicative a stretch of games than that of this past January (15 games) in which he dominated opposing defenses to the tune of 21.9 Points on 49.0% from the field, including 46.2% from range. Of course, it should be noted that this coincided with the absence of Nikola Jokic. That's important context considering it showcased his ability to function as a no. 2 in an offense.

He was 2nd on the team in total touches per game with a massive 71.0 per outing in the month of January, sporting a usage rate of 25.7% during the stretch, which placed within the 92nd percentile among wings.

Watson was quietly effective on midrange pull-up jumpers and from the midrange overall, going 26/63 (41.3%) within that zone this past season. Heck, placed within the 77th percentile among forwards in this category. It's an area of his game in which he's made improvement in.

The key for him moving forward will be to continue to hone his ball-handling skills as well as his finishing as he enters this next phase of his career. And to the latter point, if he is to be trusted with the ball in his hands, he must improve upon the lackluster percentages with which he's operated with in years past. In fact, he's never finished higher than the 49th percentile in rim field goal percentage.

And while the 65% that he ended with in 2025-26 represented a new career high, it's still a ways off from what it could end up being. The UCLA product must also clean up the self-inflicted turnovers, as he has consistently hovered around 11-13% in turnover percentage throughout the years.

We know Watson could be terrific in transition for the Cavaliers. We know what he's capable of as a cutter and as an off-ball shot. We also know the potential impact he could have on the team's defense overall but what we don't yet know is how he'll fare with the ball in his hands.

But this is what is so exciting about his acquistion. He's not a finished product. He's not even in his prime. If Watson can continue to improve, the wing position will have been locked down for years to come and his contract could look like a bargain.

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