NBA Draft 2020: 5 underrated lottery candidates from 2019 recruiting class

Anton Watson, Gonzaga

Forward | 6’8 | 210 lbs | No. 47 overall recruit

After making the National Championship game in 2017, Mark Few has upped his recruiting game and neared blue blood status on the recruiting trail. This year, Gonzaga is bringing in its best haul in program history, and while Anton Watson isn’t ranked as the crown jewel by recruiting services, he is the most talented player in the class.

Given how loaded the Bulldogs’ frontcourt will be, it may be difficult to envision Watson getting enough minutes to propel himself into the lottery. He’ll undoubtedly start off behind Killian Tillie and Filip Petrusev on the depth chart, and he’ll be competing for minutes with the likes of Drew Timme, Pavel Zakharov, and Martynas Arlauskas for frontcourt minutes behind them (potentially Oumar Ballo as well, but I’m expecting him to redshirt). Still, I expect Watson to be too talented to keep off of the floor most of the time, much like Zach Collins was for the 2017 squad.

According to Nars Martinez of Prep Hoops, people around Spokane believe that Watson is the best local product since Adam Morrison, who averaged 28 points per game in his junior year and was picked third overall in the NBA Draft. That’s certainly very high praise, but it isn’t unwarranted. For starters, there are rumors that Watson has grown to at least 6’10, which makes his skill set even more intriguing. He’s a terrific athlete, and despite being fairly thin, he’s capable of holding his own in the post. What sets him apart, however, is his ability to thrive on the perimeter at his size.

Watson is a great playmaker from the forward spot, with the ability to both handle the ball at a serviceable level and make difficult passes. He’s compared himself to Ben Simmons, and while he isn’t quite on that level as a distributor (few players are), he still poses significant mismatch problems with his combination of size, athleticism, and playmaking ability. He also has developed a lot as a shooter over the past couple of seasons and has reached the point where he’s at least a guy that you can’t leave unattended on the perimeter.

Of course, offense is only one half of the game. Luckily for Watson, he excels at defense as well, where his outstanding basketball IQ makes him a dangerous team defender. He also has the athleticism to keep up with both wings and bigs, which opens up a lot of possibilities for him on the defensive end of things. It’s also worth talking about his motor, which runs harder than any other player in nearly every game that he plays in.

While there aren’t many stats out there to validate Watson’s status as an elite prospect (which may contribute to him being ranked so lowly by recruiting services), but he did outplay top-10 recruit and Washington commit Jaden McDaniels in the 2018 state championship, which could tell you something about his talent. Watson is going to be an NBA player, and if he gets enough playing time, it could be as soon as next year.