Don't Rush It, Peyton Watson's Fit With Cavaliers May Take Time

The Peyton Watson experience has yielded mixed results thus far.

There have been encouraging signs, especially defensively but it’s still very clear that Watson is still trying to acclimate himself to his new surroundings and new role within Cleveland’s offensive hierarchy.

After a mixed bag of a game in his official Cavaliers debut, Watson continued to display some of the traits and talent that made him such an enticing addition in Cleveland’s home opener.

In roughly 30 minutes of action, Watson posted a stat line of 11 Points, 3 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, and 1 Block, while completing 36.4% (4/11) of his field goals, including 2/6 from long range.

He also fouled out, with a few head scratching moving screen calls to boot.

The easy answer here would be to chalk it up to Watson simply trying to find his way on a new team. That would be a perfectly reasonable assumption, one that I am inclined to agree with. That said, for fans who were hoping for the dynamism and efficiency with which he operated at for a good portion of last season, patience might be required.

As envisioned, he’s gotten good looks so far. He’s just not capitalizing on them yet. That should come in time as the defensive attention shifts toward that of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and, Jarrett Allen to an extent.

Through his first two appearances donning the wine and gold, Watson has attempted 9 total triples, with 6 of those (1/6) being considered “wide-open” by NBA standards. Against the Nets in particular, he went ¼ on wide-open looks.

He’s failed to convert from the corners up to this point, going 0/3 from the right corner and 0/1 from the left. It’s obviously a small sample size, but something worth noting. But after coming off a season in which he shot 52% from the corners, which placed him within the 97th percentile among wings, there is reason to believe he trends upward in this regard.

The potential, on the ball, is present, but it’s also clear that Watson isn’t trying to step on any toes on his way in the door. His attempts as an on-ball creator have been mostly out of rhythm but I expect that to change as he becomes more comfortable and as Head Coach Kenny Atkinson finds the best balance for him within the lineup.

On the opposite side of the ball, Watson has been flexing his defensive playmaking as well as his on-ball coverage, garnering 3 Steals & 2 Blocks, while limiting opponents to 9/26 (34.6%) from the field.

He does appear to be out of position at times but that’s normal for a player in his first 2 games with a new squad. He has spent the bulk of his time (74.9%) defending guards as Cleveland is attempting to see how they can best deploy their newest defensive weapon.

Overall, he’s been a mixed bag so far. If nothing else, I urge the fanbase to be patient with number 8. He could prove to be exactly the type of player Cleveland needed in it’s starting lineup.

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