If this is the best roster the Nuggets have fielded in Nikola Jokic’s career, it’s still hard to tell.
Every time one player returns to the court, another limps off. Peyton Watson is the latest — he’s expected to miss at least four weeks with a right hamstring strain, the team announced Friday.
If that estimated timeline proves accurate, Watson will be Denver’s sixth rotation player this season to miss a stretch of three or more consecutive weeks, joining Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas. The rotation hasn’t been whole since Braun sprained an ankle on a freak play last Nov. 12. The Nuggets were 9-2 after that night. They’re 24-17 since.
Watson asked out of the game on Wednesday night and walked directly to the locker room as Denver took on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. He underwent an MRI that revealed a grade two strain, a league source told The Denver Post.
Watson was averaging 22.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in his last 18 games before the injury. He had played in 49 of Denver’s first 52 games, helping lead the team through a month-long stretch without Jokic. For the season, Watson is averaging 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds, shooting 49.6% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point range.
The fourth-year wing did not get a contract extension from Denver before the season, putting him on track to become a restricted free agent this summer. The Nuggets can match offers he receives from other teams, but whether they do so may depend on their willingness to spend over various luxury tax thresholds and incur the penalties. To retain Watson and stay out of the most punitive payroll territory, the NBA’s second apron, other salary-shedding trades would be required.
Following a precise six-week timeline, the earliest Watson could be able to return is March 6, when the Nuggets face the Knicks again. Even if he were to return that soon, he would miss 11 games. Denver will have seven days off in mid-February for the All-Star break as he works through his recovery.
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The post Nuggets’ Peyton Watson out at least 4 weeks with hamstring strain appeared first on Denver Post
