Oft-Forgotten Watford Steps Up For Injury-Riddled Nets
Out of sight, out of mind, goes an old cliché that is also applicable to sports teams.
Nets forward Trendon Watford missed the first 13 games of the season with a hamstring injury before getting 13 minutes of rust-shaking action during Brooklyn’s one-sided loss at New York on Sunday. During his absence, it was easy to forget the versatility and toughness he can bring off the bench as the frisky Nets repeatedly gave superior teams runs for their money.
The Nets, who entered Tuesday night’s Emirates NBA Cup showdown with Charlotte at Barclays Center with five losses in their last six games, found out minutes before the opening tip that they’d be without scorer supreme Cam Thomas due to a back injury. For Brooklyn to pull this one out, they were going to have to find the points somewhere, especially if it came down to crunch time.
Though Brooklyn’s 116-115 victory was a collective effort, it was Watford who stepped up by scoring seven points in the final two minutes. No Thomas, no problem, as Watford took the undersized Hornets into the paint where he aggressive finished through contact or got fouled in the act of shooting.
Head Coach Jordi Fernandez’s decision to turn to Watford as opposed to starter Ben Simmons, who had one of his better games of the season with 10 points (his first double digit scoring output in 11 games), 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, was either due to Simmons hitting his minutes restriction per the protocol for his recovery from a second back surgery or one of merit. It is fair to wonder whether Fernandez will trust a player like Simmons who has exhibited an aversion to getting fouled (zero free throw attempts since Game 2), the antithesis of Watford. Even if off-the-ball fouls are forbidden in the last two minutes, what if Charlotte had hacked Simmons every time he received a pass?
In some past games, Fernandez called upon Ziaire Williams for that closing role due to his impressive in-your-face defense. However, Williams has struggled with his three-point shot, misfiring on 32 of his last 38 attempts after starting the season 8-for-12. Watford might not be the one you want with a grenade in his hands with the shot clock expiring, but his stroke seems to be improving every season, making him a better floor spacing option.
That kind of sums up Watford—he is pretty good in many basketball areas, but he is a work in a progress. His handle could be tighter, especially if Fernandez also sees him as a part-time 1, and his peripheral vision on his drives doesn’t expand outside the paint. Defense isn’t Watford’s forte either due to his foot speed.
But Watford’s versatility and hustle gives him the opportunity to make winning plays, like the pair of huge chasedown blocks in Tuesday’s fourth quarter as the game teetered back and forth. His size (6-foot 8, 237 pounds) helped make the Nets a better defensive rebounding team with Watford on the floor last season versus off, per NBA.com.
It’s easy to forget that though Watford may be entering his fourth NBA season, the LSU product is still considered a young player, having turned 24 ten days ago. Ever since his arrival in Brooklyn in the summer of 2023, he has unfortunately tended to get lost in the shuffle of the numbers game. Prior Head Coach Jacque Vaughn often made him an odd man out of the rotation when he wasn’t tasking Watford with unfamiliar point guard duties. Still, Watford pushed through the periods of inconsistency to post the fourth highest per-36 minute scoring average on the team (50 games minimum) last season at a solid 52.7/39.7/79.4 shooting split.
Brooklyn management obviously thought the Watford package was worth bringing back, so they re-signed him to another 1-year contract for a raise to $2.7 million. However, the hamstring issue popped up before training camp and then Watford had a setback as he prepared for a return to the court for the November 1 contest versus Chicago. Fernandez, who has stated a few times that he wants his players at 200% (SMH) before they are cleared for games, finally gave him the green light on Sunday.
Despite the long layoff, the Nets didn’t have to remind Watford that green means go hard on the court.