Peyton Watson is starting a new chapter in his journey in the NBA after being sent by the Denver Nuggets to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a five-team trade in August.
Watson is not going to forget his time with the Nuggets anytime soon, having experienced many highs and lows with the Western Conference franchise.
He won an NBA championship alongside Nikola Jokic and others during his rookie season in the 2022-23 campaign. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, meanwhile, was that embarrassing moment he experienced at the hands of former Denver head coach Michael Malone.
Watson recalls getting torched by former Nuggets coach
During a recent appearance on “Curious Mike,” the former UCLA Bruins star recalled a moment that seemingly became a core basketball memory for him, one that changed his outlook.
“I remember in one of the practices, before Game 1 or 2, I think, I was playing KD [Kevin Durant] on the scout team. I was just having fun at practice being able to be that guy to kind of just let loose and just try to get off and score on you guys,” Watson told Michael Porter.
“Coach Malone asked me in front of the team, ‘Okay, P, what’s the name of this play that we’ve been running that you just ran?’”
When Watson couldn’t come up with a quick response, Malone appeared to lose it and went nuclear on the forward.
“I remember just being like, ‘I don’t know.’ I really just don’t know. I didn’t know. His face turned red, bro, and he just started chewing me out. ‘You’re the youngest one in here. You should be paying attention. We give you a book with all the plays on it. You should know these things” Watson continued.
“‘You’ve been playing KD for X amount of practices, and you don’t know these things. That shows you haven’t been paying attention, and maybe you aren’t ready to play if I call your number.’ He just went on a tear, bro.”
Despite that tough experience, Watson said it changed him, saying that he’s sine “been hyper-focused on the game plan,” making sure he comes to every game fully prepared.
Watson will now look to apply that lesson for the Cavs, another team widely viewed as a legitimate NBA title contender.
Selected by the Nuggets in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, Watson has career averages of 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 225 games.
