The Cavaliers paid a high price to acquire Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets this offseason.
Cleveland acquired the fifth-year forward in a sign-and-trade this summer and signed him to a four-year, $88 million contract.
Watson was ruled out of Monday’s game with a hamstring injury, although coach Kenny Atkinson said he was “not overly concerned,” according to Cavaliers reporter Chris Fedor.
Maybe Atkinson is being optimistic, but after Watson missed significant time last season with hamstring issues, there may be cause for concern.
Brian Windhorst certainly feels that way. On Wednesday’s episode of “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective,” Windhorst expressed pessimism about Watson’s seemingly nagging hamstring injury.
“I don’t know if you saw this, McMahon, because you were at a game, but Peyton Watson was out for that game with hamstring soreness, the right hamstring, which is the injury that he had twice last year, which basically derailed his season. Kenny Atkinson said they were not overly concerned.”
“I’m concerned.”
Watson’s Start to the 2026-27 Season
Watson played in 54 games for the Nuggets last season but missed significant time down the stretch. He appeared in just five of Denver’s final 30 regular-season games and did not play in the playoffs, according to Basketball-Reference.
Despite the injury issues, Watson had the best season of his career, starting 40 of his 54 appearances. He averaged 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from 3-point range in 29.6 minutes per game.
Through his first six games with Cleveland, Watson has gotten off to a rough start. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 10.8 points on 37.1% shooting from the field and 16.7% from 3-point range, along with 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Who do the Cavs Turn to Without Watson?
In Watson’s absence, the Cavaliers turned to rookie Meleek Thomas on Monday night. The second-round draft pick (34th overall) scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds in 26 minutes of action in a 117-112 loss to the Thunder.
Thomas has been productive early in his rookie season, averaging 14 points per game while shooting 48.9% from the field and 47.6% from 3-point range on more than five attempts per game.
Another player who could see additional minutes with Watson sidelined is Mario Hezonja, who has also been a pleasant surprise for the Cavaliers early in the season. In his first year back in the NBA after spending the previous six seasons overseas, Hezonja is averaging 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.1 minutes per game.
After Monday night’s game, Atkinson discussed Hezonja taking on a larger role in Watson’s absence:
“[Peyton Watson] wasn’t able to go and listen, I think these things are — this early in the season — we’re just being just being cautious and smart. I think that’s the way to play it….Mario [Hezonja] got more minutes, which is great. In a situation like that, you develop your bench. I’d rather [Peyton Watson] get fully healthy rather than throwing him out there game six, game seven.”
We’ll see how long Watson remains sidelined, but given the rash of hamstring injuries around the league and Watson’s injury history, the Cavaliers will almost certainly take the cautious approach Atkinson described.
Cleveland faces the Thunder again on Wednesday night, this time in Oklahoma City.
Brian Windhorst Raises Concern About Peyton Watson’s Latest Hamstring Injury