Peyton Watson's health has been an under-the-radar swing factor looming over the Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets series. Watson has played in just five of Denver's last 29 games due to a hamstring injury.
During a recent appearance on The Dane Moore Podcast, Nuggets reporter Adam Mares said that he doesn't expect Watson to play at all in this series.
“I don’t expect him [Watson] back in the series. I think he’s going to miss the entire thing," Mares said.
The Nuggets' bottom-10 defense is a clear flaw for an otherwise stellar team, and losing one of their top defenders could completely flip the dynamics of this series. Watson's injury might not change your series prediction, but you have to admit that it clearly increases the chances of a Wolves' upset.
Peyton Watson's injury could set the stage for a Timberwolves upset
If Mares is correct and Watson doesn't play in this series, this most directly impacts Anthony Edwards. While Watson wouldn't start on a fully healthy Nuggets team, he remains Denver's best on-ball defender on Ant. He has more speed than Aaron Gordon and more size and length than Christian Braun.
The Nuggets' lack of a natural matchup for Edwards was already an advantage for the Timberwolves. Now, without Watson, this advantage will only grow.
Braun is a high-level defender, but he alone isn't enough to limit Ant. Sure, Gordon could be another option, but he is far better suited to guard forwards and bigs than guards. The Wolves pulling off an upset will certainly be paired with a monster series from Edwards, and Watson's injury increases the likelihood of this.
Now, I'm sure the Nuggets will try to load up on Edwards as they did during their regular season meetings. Still, it's doubtful that they can truly make up for their lack of on-ball defense in the aggregate, especially since Edwards has shown that he is proficient at beating double teams. Plus, the Wolves' shooting can make Denver pay for blitzing Ant.
If Watson were healthy, he would also unlock some versatility for the Nuggets. Watson could allow the Nuggets to go small when Nikola Jokic is off the court, which would be an especially vital wrinkle when Rudy Gobert is also off the court.
This lack of optionality could be a significant enough advantage to tilt the series in the Wolves' favor.
Watson's absence won't just be felt on defense, as he has reached new heights on offense, averaging 14.6 points on 41.1 percent 3-point shooting. The Nuggets will surely miss his extra floor spacing and shot creation.
All in all, while Watson's injury might not be the biggest story heading into this series, it could prove to be a massive difference-maker.
Add us as a preferred source on Google