Peyton Watson

NBA DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

POSITION: SFFROM: UCLA
(Long Beach, CA)		HT: 6-8WT: 203
BORN: NAYEAR: Fr.WING: 7-0 1/2REACH: NA

Draft Notes

Payton Watson is a long, wiry high-upside athlete with all the tools to make it in the League. He’s a high flyer, a great dunker and a lethal transition player.

Watson had a tough freshman season at UCLA, seeing limited playing time on a veteran-laden team but NBA teams will be looking at his athletic upside and what he could become a few years down the line.

Watson really get after it defensively, showing the ability to guard 1-4 and switch everything on the perimeter. His value in the NBA could come from his ability to guard some of the most talented wings in the league.

He’s a great transition player who runs the court like a deer and can really get up and finish above the rim.

In the half court Watson can handle the ball up top and make plays off the dribble. He’s mostly a straight line driver who uses his quickness, length and long strides to blow by defenders and get to the rim. He’s got the makings of a good jump shot but is pretty far away from being a knock down shooter at this point.

Comparisons

  • Derrick Jones Jr.

Draft Projection

late first to mid second round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft

Videos

2022 Small Forwards

  1. Ousmane Dieng – 6-10 – France
  2. Adrian Griffin Jr. – 6-6 – Duke
  3. Tari Eason – 6-8 – LSU
  4. Kendall Brown – 6-6 – Baylor
  5. Wendell Moore Jr. – 6-6 – Duke
  6. Caleb Houstan – 6-8 – Michigan (Canada)
  7. Josh Minott – 6-8 – Memphis
  8. Dereon Seabron – 6-7 – NC State
  9. Justin Lewis – 6-7 – Marquette
  10. Jared Rhoden – 6-6 – Seton Hall
  11. Aminu Mohammed – 6-5 – Georgetown
  12. Gabe Brown – 6-8 – Michigan State
  13. Payton Watson – 6-9 – UCLA
  14. Jordan Hall – 6-8 – St. Joe’s
  15. Julian Champagnie – 6-8 – St. Johns
  16. Jabari Walker – 6-8 – Colorado
  17. Vince Williams Jr. – 6-6 – VCU
  18. Johnny Juzang – 6-7 – UCLA
  19. Jermaine Samuels – 6-7 – Villanova
  20. Hyunjung Lee – 6-7 – Davidson (South Korea)
  21. Gui Santos – 6-8 – Brazil
  22. Luke Travers – 6-7 – Australia
  23. Fanbo Zeng – 6-9 – G League Ignite (China)
  24. Landers Nolley II – 6-7 – Memphis
  25. Keyontae Johnson – 6-5 – Florida