Kevin Durant Sends Message to Peyton Watson Amid Recent Breakout

It's been an impressive past few games for Denver Nuggets fourth-year forward Peyton Watson.

While the Nuggets have been without several key pieces of their typical lineup, including three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, it's required a few players around the roster to step up to the occasion in his place and lead Denver to a few wins in his absence––and Watson has taken that opportunity in stride.

Since 2001-02, Watson is now just the third player in NBA history to have 125-plus points, 15-plus steals and blocks, and 15-plus three-pointers made on 60% shooting or better from deep––joining some stellar company in Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant as the only names to have accomplished said feat.

That exact stat had captured the attention of Durant himself, who, after Denver's latest win over the New Orleans Pelicans, where Watson had a 31-point performance, took to Instagram to post those numbers with a short and simple caption attached regarding the recent breakout of the Nuggets' wing.

"Aye @peytonwatson you locked the f––– in my boy. It was only a matter of time," Durant wrote.

Kevin Durant Loving Peyton Watson's Recent Stretch

Durant, who's long had a close relationship with Watson, was bound to give him some praise after such a dominant stretch, and one that's not only kept the Nuggets on the map in the Western Conference while without several noteworthy playmakers, but also put Watson on track for a career-best season.

In his past eight games, Watson has averaged an impressive 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, paired with over a block and a steal per night, also shooting notably efficiently at 51.1% from the field and 44.2% from three. The Nuggets have gone 5-3 in that same stretch, and to this point, remain tied for second in the conference behind only the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jan 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) calls for a replay in the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It's made for one of the most impressive breakouts of this season so far, and one that's even landed him the NBA's latest Western Conference Player of the Week in the process––the first of his career, and shows just how strong his play has been as of recent when stacked up against the best in the world.

Especially when one of the greatest scorers in NBA history gives you a vote of confidence for how you've been playing, that should be a positive sign of things to come moving forward.

As the Nuggets get healthier and their typical starters become more available, Watson's eye-popping stats are bound to die down a slight bit. Especially once Jokic finds his way back and at an MVP-level, Watson will fall a bit further back into place as well.

Yet, if able to keep up his high impact and intensity on both ends of the ball while continuously gaining the trust of his teammates and coaching staff, it'll be hard to keep him from staying out of their starting five and with a major role down the stretch of this season.

To this point, he's shown zero signs of slowing down, and until those key pieces enter back into the rotation for the Nuggets, more of the same should be expected of the 23-year-old, who's quickly emerging into one of the NBA's most appealing young two-way wings, and perhaps even a Most Improved Player candidate to keep watch of, if the hot hand persists.

Kevin Durant Loving Peyton Watson's Recent Stretch

More Denver Nuggets Content