Nets' Trendon Watford Finds Success at Point Guard in Win Over 76ers

When D'Angelo Russell exited Thursday night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers after rolling his ankle, it was fair to assume the newly-signed Killian Hayes would step into the starting point guard role for the Brooklyn Nets.

That assumption proved true, leading to a three-point, six-assist effort through 27 minutes of action. While Hayes has been solid in his two appearances since earning a 10-day contract from his performances with the Long Island Nets, it was Trendon Watford who closed out Saturday night's 105-103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Serving as an oversized facilitator, Watford added 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter while dishing out six assists in just 24 minutes of play.

With Russell's future status unknown, Watford not only helped lift the team to victory, but also provided the Nets with a fallback option should Russell miss extended time.

“It’s time to win. I mean, Jordi [Fernandez] told me I was pretty much gonna finish the game. So, fourth quarter, it’s time to win. We all just knew we had to win that quarter to win the game,” Watford said via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Man, I’m so glad we ain’t have to go to overtime. Honestly, I ain’t know if I had it in me to play five more minutes, I ain’t gonna lie.”

Following Watford's standout performance, Fernandez praised his newfound point forward.

“He helps you win. And he does that because he’s able to score, but also able to handle and playmake and play four positions, and post-up and make a 3. So all those things are super valuable at his size and position,” he said.

While Watford's performance was extra special last night, he's quietly been fantastic in his last five games. He's averaged 14.4 points per game while seeing an increased workload off the bench. After his dominant fourth quarter showing, Fernandez could opt to get Watford more opportunites quarterbacking the offense.

Now just a half game back of the Chicago Bulls for 10th in the Eastern Conference, the Nets look to continue their mid-season playoff push against the Washington Wizards tomorrow at 7 p.m. EST.

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