Peyton Watson named most likely breakout candidate for Denver Nuggets this season

Denver forward Peyton Watson is gearing up for what could be a big year with the Nuggets. After an impressive string of games at the end of last year's NBA regular season, he's on the radar of the national sports media. CBS Sports named him Denver's top breakout candidate for the 2023-24 season.

"You can't talk to anyone even tangentially associated with the Nuggets without being bombarded by fervent ebullience about Watson, who is poised to step into a bigger role with the champs," wrote Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports.

Watson and the young players on the Nuggets bench will need to step up this year in order for the team to reach its goal of being in prime playoff position to compete for another NBA championship. That's in part because last year's stellar bench players Bruce Brown and Jeff Green signed with other teams during free agency and Vlatko Čančar hurt his knee and will miss the season.

Watson played for UCLA before declaring for the NBA Draft and being picked in the first round by the Nuggets last year. He didn't start making regular appearances on the court for the Nuggets until the later part of last season, but once he did he flashed on the court. During a 6-game stretch he averaged over 20 minutes per game and made several impressive blocks. He excelled playing defense against several star players in the league including Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns. 

"Watson is the guy to watch out for in Denver," Ward-Henninger wrote.

The Nuggets season tips off on Tuesday with a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers.