Peyton Watson motivated by Player of the Week award
Denver Nuggets Guard Peyton Watson says winning his first Western Conference Player of the Week award gave him extra motivation while Nikola Jokić is out of the field due to injury.
He earned NBA Player of the Week 12 honors on Monday as Scotty Barnes of the Toronto Raptors won the East. Watson expressed his excitement after earning the honor.
“I can’t tell you the last time I won any personal recognition. So it really means a lot to me. … More fuel for my fire. It makes me want to get better and better. I don’t want it to be my first and only. I want it to be my first of many,” Watson told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.
Watson earned the honor for the games played from Monday, January 5th to Sunday, January 11th. In four games, he averaged 24.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks.
Watson averaged 38.7 minutes, shooting 50% from the field, 70% from three and 66.7% from the free throw line, helping Denver go 3-1. He led the West in three-point percentage (min. 10 3FG), was fifth in total points and was one of three West players to shoot over 50% from the field and over 60% from three (min. three games).
The 23-year-old UCLA alum helped Denver go 3-1 in three games without Jokic and Jamal Murray. Even without competition, they secured key wins thanks to head coach David Adelman and outstanding contributions from the players.
Watson became the third Nuggets player to win the weekly award this season, joining Jokic (twice) and Murray. The 23-year-old earned his first career Player of the Week award, becoming the 20th different Nugget in franchise history to win the award.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Watson made a layup with 39 seconds left to lift the Nuggets over the New Orleans Pelicans 122-116. He finished with 31 pointsseven rebounds and five assists in his first game since being named Western Conference Player of the Week.
With injuries still affecting the team, Watson’s performance has helped the Nuggets (27-13) compete for first place in the Western Conference.
2026-01-14 13:23:00
