The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up an impressive win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Meleek Thomas played great off the bench. So did Jaylon Tyson. Meanwhile, Peyton Watson struggled with his efficiency, but the defense was there. Cleveland needs him to combine the two skills.
Adding Watson was a huge swing by the Cavs this summer. They gave up a ton of stuff in the trade package to land Watson, and once they got him, they gave him a ton of money in his new contract. Now, Watson has to perform. The defense has been there. And Kenny Atkinson is trusting him to play a ton of minutes. The Cavs just need him to make his shots.
If Watson can put everything together and become a real threat on both ends of the court, he’ll become the player the Cavs truly envisioned when they traded for him.
Cavs need Peyton Watson to put his offense and defense together
Watson has been one of the most important players for the Cavs. Atkinson is giving him a ton of minutes. He’s playing the fourth-most minutes per game of anyone on the team.
And the guys he is behind are the best players on the team: Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and James Harden. Those three, Watson, and Jarrett Allen are clearly the core five. The starting five.
The Cavs are 2-1 to begin the year, but they should be 3-0. A blown 29-point lead against the Philadelphia 76ers has put a stain on their start to the season. And unfortunately, Watson hasn’t been amazing.
Through the first three games, Watson has shot an abysmal 2-of-14 from beyond the three-point arc, which comes out to 14.3%. That’s just not good enough. He needs to shoot better.
That said, the defense has been there. You can see the vision with him being a defensive homewrecker in Cleveland’s starting lineup, helping make up for the defensive struggles of Mitchell and Harden.
In the Cavs’ overtime win over the Timberwolves on Tuesday night, Watson ended the game with three steals and two blocks. That said, he shot just 5-of-13 from the floor and 0-of-5 from deep range.
The Cavs need Watson to pair those two skills together. He needs to maintain his level of defense while also making his shots. He doesn’t have to shoot 40%. But he can’t shoot 14%.
If he can put the offensive and defensive ends together, he’ll be perfect. It’ll be exactly what the Cavs need from their power forward spot.
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