UCLA Basketball: 2021 5-star G Peyton Watson commits to the Bruins
By Ian Mumm
Long Beach Poly wing Peyton Watson becomes the second commitment for UCLA Basketball in the 2021 class.
Peyton Watson, the 17th overall prospect rated by 247sports.com, joins 4-star Bishop Gorman (NV) guard Will McClendon in pledging to the Bruins. The program’s latest addition bumps them to 7th nationally in the 2021 class rankings. The 6’7” small forward also becomes the first 5-star recruit for head coach Mick Cronin, since taking the job at UCLA. Watson averaged 23.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, during his junior high school season.
The Bruins really picked up momentum at the end of the 2019 season, under Cronin’s new system. Defensive improvements, in particular, helped lead the team to nine wins in their last 11 games. However, UCLA still struggled to play efficiently on the offensive end. Only junior Chris Smith averaged more than 10 points per game last season.
Cronin has some budding talents in point guard Tyger Campbell and sharpshooters Jake Kyman and Jaime Jacquez Jr, but the addition of Watson adds immediate offensive production without sacrificing defensive consistency. The lanky wing has a quick and long first step to beat defenders off the dribble and is comfortable as both a creator and a perimeter shooting threat. He plays physically moving downhill and will draw a lot of fouls with his aggression around the rim.
Watson’s play on the defensive side of the ball will also be very vital in pushing UCLA towards a Pac-12 title. He has strong lateral quickness and can guard multiple positions at the next level. He is also a consistent shot-blocking threat at the rim and on the fast break. His versatility and immediate production will make him one of Cronin’s favorite players entering the 2021 season.
Coach Cronin and fans will at least be looking to Watson to continue the successful play of 5-star recruits joining the UCLA program. Moses Brown, Chris Wilkes, and Jaylen Hands have been the most recent 5-star players to grace the program and each has played vital parts of the Bruins on-court results. However, elite-level production has not coincided with end-game results since Lonzo Ball was with the team in 2016.
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Although another commitment for UCLA is unlikely to happen soon, there is hope for Cronin to continue to turn the program around. The Bruins have become significantly more comfortable in their new system and adding a more dynamic wing-prospect in Watson to its already deep ranks is bound to keep the team in the top-25 for the next several seasons. Watson shouldn’t have many issues continuing the trend of strong production from 5-star talent on this team and should provide fans with plenty of optimism for the future even if he a projected one-and-done talent.