Anton Watson Scouting Report
A sleeper forward with versatility
Name: Anton Watson
Birth date: October 6, 2000
Height/Weight: 6’8/233
Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’0/8’9
Hand size: 9 ¾
Position: Forward
Pre-Draft team: Gonzaga
Tools: Versatility, intangibles, defense, efficient 2 point scoring
Background: Two-time state champion in high school. Member of All-WCC in 2024. Born in Idaho, where his dad played college basketball. Both of his siblings are former D1 athletes.
Season stats: 14.5 PPG 7.1 RPG 2.6 APG 1.5 SPG 0.7 BPG 1.4 TOPG on 58/41/65
Pros:
Versatile defensively and can create chaos on the defensive end
Intelligent player that rarely makes wild decisions
Plays hard 100% of the time
Has a nice push shot/floater with soft touch
Good balance defensively against change of direction offense
Can read passes before they happen defensively (Pepperdine game)
Quick hands defensively
Soft touch at the rim makes him a great finisher at the rim
Long arms and decent frame
Cons:
Mediocre athlete; doesn’t get great lift on closeouts making his closeouts low
Needs to prove shooting consistency
Swing Skills:
How will his athleticism and awkward height limit or hinder his game translating up?
Is his shooting real? FT% and 3P% are better as he is one of the oldest players in the conference
Summary:
Anton Watson is a two-way, connective forward that can be a practical jack of all trades, master of none. While normally this phrase is seen as a negative in today’s NBA, it could be beneficial for Watson as he uses that versatility without an elite skill to his advantage.
Offensively, Watson’s jumper has grown over his time in college, but he still had a poor free throw percentage throughout college (63% career FT%). With 99 3 point attempts over the last two seasons (shot 37%), there is hope that the volume can continue to trend upwards enough to become an undersized big (offensively) with an effortless ability to make everyone else around him better. His rim scoring is impressive, having soft touch on his baby hook shots, floaters, and layups near the rim. Watson takes smart shots and doesn’t force difficult plays, and with a strong feel for the game he makes his teammates better. His floor vision, especially out of the short roll, is strong, and like his shooting, he does not force bad plays and takes advantage of what the defense presents to him and the team. While not a 3 level scorer, if he can hit jumpers at a respectable rate and be willing to take jumpers, he can easily stay on the floor as a glue-guy that makes everyone around him better. If he cannot hit jumpers, his impact elsewhere will be greatly minimized, and could be a pitfall for people like myself that are higher on him than the consensus.
Defensively, Watson is outstanding as an on-ball defender and off-ball defender, keeping great balance, always being aware of where the ball is while knowing what the off-ball offensive players are doing. Watson plays hard without taking plays off, and he can be switchable across the board at 6’8. Watson’s best value on defense comes from his off-ball defense, often spying properly to take away from set plays, and with smart defenders around him he can easily be a key secondary anchor to a defense next to a primary rim protector.
Watson serves as a low usage combo forward that can even play center against certain lineups, and he makes everyone around him better on both ends of the floor. Watson will be a favorite of coaches, both on and off the floor, and if things develop quickly and properly, he could become at least a variation of the player Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was supposed to develop into without the injuries. I have Watson ranked in my high 30s as a priority 2nd round pick, or most likely as a top two-way candidate, that could easily graduate from the two-way contract and earn a guaranteed roster spot. Watson’s ability to make everyone around him better in a low usage role without an elite trait to hang his hat on will be difficult to break through, but he could defy some of the archetypes like him that have failed in years prior. Of players with his volume or better, he was among the most efficient players in the country (8th highest PPP among players with 350+ eligible possessions, per Synergy). His combination of productivity, turnover forcing, and ideal size make him an intriguing prospect and an ideal sleeper that can help a team right away while carving out a respectable NBA career.
Projected draft range: 40-undrafted
Expected role: Two-way versatile forward that can be a true Swiss Army Knife.
Unplayable if: Jump shooting never develops, making him a tweener in the worst ways.
Exceeds expectations if: Jump shot growth continues to trend upwards and size doesn’t make him a tweener.
Videos:
Shot chart:
