Nuggets Get Crushed With New Peyton Watson Injury Update

The Denver Nuggets have already been one of the NBA's most injured teams this season, so things cannot get any worse, right? Well, the team wishes that were the case. As soon as things start trending in the right direction for the Nuggets, with Nikola Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas, and Christian Braun all returning to the lineup, they suffer another major setback.

In Wednesday's double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks, Nuggets wing Peyton Watson left in the fourth quarter with an apparent hamstring injury and did not return.

On Thursday, The Athletic's Tony Jones reports that Watson suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that is expected to sideline him for "extended time."

BREAKING: Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson has suffered a grade 2 left hamstring strain and is expected to miss extended time, League Sources tell The Athletic. Watson had been a breakout star for the Nuggets. This adds to their injury misfortune
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) February 6, 2026

Yet another injury setback

Watson will join Aaron Gordon on the Nuggets' bench with extended injury absences, as the latter is also recovering from a hamstring strain. Denver has battled through significant injuries this season, most notably with a month-long absence for Jokic, and now Watson will miss multiple weeks as well.

Watson has been a rising star for the Nuggets this season, as he was able to use Jokic's absence to take his game to the next level. In January, Watson averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting 49% from the field and 46.2% from three-point range.

PEYTON WATSON DUNKS ALL OVER CHET
pic.twitter.com/AZbp7ABdv8
— SleeperHoops (@Sleeper_Hoops) February 2, 2026

The 23-year-old wing has emerged as one of the league's most promising two-way players, and a huge focus for Denver in the offseason will be doing what they can to retain the restricted free agent.

While not having Watson for the next several weeks will be a major blow, the Nuggets are simply hoping to have everyone back in the lineup and healthy in time for the postseason. With Watson now joining their long list of injuries, the priority will be to get him back before it's time for the playoffs.

What's next for the Nuggets?

With Watson and Gordon both out for extended periods, it will be interesting to see what the Nuggets do. Of course, once Johnson is back on the floor, their lineup immediately improves, but with an open roster spot after the trade deadline, they could turn to the buyout market to add some forward depth.

Luckily, the All-Star break is right around the corner, giving the Nuggets some extra time to allow their guys to recover and get healthy, but Watson will likely be sidelined well past the week-long break.

We will likely see the Nuggets turn to Tim Hardaway Jr., Spencer Jones, Bruce Brown, and Christian Braun to all take on an extra load in Watson's absence. There is no doubt that the Nuggets have the personnel to make up for Watson's injury, but it remains very unfortunate that they have to deal with another significant absence.

Yet another injury setback

What's next for the Nuggets?

More Denver Nuggets Content