Peyton Watson

About

Peyton Tyler Watson (born September 11, 2002) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A McDonald’s All-American in high school, he played one season of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Watson was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft with the 30th overall pick.

Watson attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California, joining the varsity team as a freshman. After coming off the bench earlier in his career, he assumed a leading role in his junior season. He averaged 23.2 points and eight rebounds per game, earning Moore League MVP honors. He was named to the rosters for the McDonald’s All-American, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.

Watson was a consensus five-star recruit, one of the top small forwards and the highest-ranked player from California in the 2021 recruiting class. On July 27, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for UCLA over offers from Arizona, Gonzaga, Michigan, Oregon and Washington. He was frank with the Bruins coaching staff that he intended to be a one-and-done player, leaving…