Peyton Watson is confident that the Denver Nuggets will remain competitive despite their ongoing injury crisis at the frontcourt. In case you missed it, the team will be without Nikola Jokic (knee) and Jonas Valanciunas (calf) for several weeks, as they’re both in the medical room.
The Denver Nuggets are coming off a thrilling 106-103 road win against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night through their balanced effort. Watson led the team with 24 points, eight rebounds, and two steals on 9-for-19 shooting from the field in 36 minutes of action.
“I feel like there’s a lot of people that doubt us. And there’s a lot of people that would say without Joker, we’re a lottery team, and even if we win, they’re going to say it’s one lucky win,” Watson said in his postgame interview.
“I feel a huge responsibility, you know. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Pressure is a privilege, and I’m super excited to lead these guys,” he continued. “We’ve just got a team of guys that know how to fight.”
Denver Nuggets News: DaRon Holmes II expected to soak up minutes due to Jokic and Valanciunas’ injuries
Because of the Denver Nuggets’ spate of injuries, DaRon Holmes II had to play more than he should have against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday evening. The former 22nd overall pick had 11 points and three rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.
“That was a lot, man, just to see (Valanciunas get hurt). We already have four starters down,” Holmes told The Denver Post. “And then Val as well now. Lord knows how long he’ll be out for, but for me, it was more just like, man, I’m tired. That’s my first time really playing that many minutes in a true NBA game. So I’m just like, I have to catch my wind and figure this out.”
“He was really good,” head coach David Adelman said of Holmes. “And I think he’ll learn as he goes, the NBA, when they switch one through five, they’re not smalls (switching onto him). These are tough, RJ Barrett-sized wings. And he’ll learn how to manipulate his screens and do all those things. Because he can always pick-and-pop. We know he can do that. And he can do it against traditional fives in drop coverage like that.”
