A five-second span of the second quarter showed the element Peyton Watson adds to the Nuggets.

“We have been a pass-and-cut team. We’re not a team that travels to the paint off the dribble very much,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after his team’s 142-135 win over the Mavericks Wednesday at Ball Arena. “It’s been off cutting and moving and free play and execution. To have someone like that is very unique for us. We haven’t had it in a very long time.”

When Spencer Jones slipped into the lane instead of setting a sturdier screen on Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg, Watson had the NBA Rookie of the Year contender on an island with 8 minutes and 20 seconds left in the second quarter.

“Anytime I get an isolation situation, I like my odds no matter who is guarding me, to be honest with you,” Watson said in the postgame locker room. “I feel like I have a combination of skills that make me really tough to keep out of the paint and getting to my spots.”

Watson set up Flagg with a series of moves. He dribbled the ball between his legs from his right to left hand before crossing back over to his right. One more right-to-left dribble between his legs set up a hesitation move that had Flagg stuck a step beyond the free-throw line. Watson glided to the rim and gave the Nuggets a lead with 8:15 until halftime.

“With bigger guys, I try to give them a little bit more moves to get their feet moving one way. I just tested him with a hesi, and it ended up working,” Watson said. “I was even so surprised I didn’t go down there and dunk it. I just laid it right in.”

P-Wat showing off the hesi pic.twitter.com/R6x0b8wXU7

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 26, 2026

The 23-year-old’s first bucket of the night came off a Nikola Jokic assist in a split action, a staple of Denver’s offense where a player briefly sets an off-ball screen and cuts to the basket. Watson got an emphatic dunk off a behind-the-back feed from Jokic on the same set in the final minute of the third quarter, but the three-time Most Valuable Player thinks Watson’s at his best off the bounce. In Watson’s first game back after missing six weeks with a hamstring strain, he attracted a couple of defenders and dropped off a pass to Jokic for an easy bucket.

“He’s so big and tall, so when he jumps, he can see everybody and pass the ball,” Jokic said. “Putting pressure on the rim, it really helps us a lot.”

The drive-and-dish potential is what most excites Adelman about his fourth-year wing in the middle of a breakout season. In his two games back, Watson has six assists without a turnover in 43 minutes. His three assists against Dallas led to 3-pointers for Jamal Murray, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown.

“The special thing about him right now is I really think he’s trying to make the right play when he gets in there,” Adelman said. “The no-turnovers, three-assists thing is a big deal. The efficiency of how he shot it – not only finishing – but then making standstill 3s is such a big deal.”

The final field goal of Watson’s 21-point performance on 10 shots in 23 minutes was a catch-and-shoot 3 that put Denver up seven with a little more than three minutes left in the game. Outside of the minutes restriction, it’s hard to tell that Watson was in his second game back.

“On a night like tonight, there was no forcing. He just slowed down a little bit and got to his bag. It was good to see him just gradually get that rhythm,” Murray said after his 53-point performance.

“He’s not going to be perfect, but just to see him have the night he had, coming off the bench and just staying poised and not getting frustrated … he’s just maturing. It’s really good to see.”

After the efficient performance, Watson is averaging career highs in points (15), assists (2), field-goal percentage (49.9%) and free-throw percentage (72.8%), while shooting 41.5% from 3-point range. The defensive potential was a big reason why Denver selected the 6-foot-8 wing with the 30^th pick of the 2022 draft after a quiet freshman season at UCLA, but the offensive polish has been undeniable in Year 4.

“It starts with establishing your aggression offensively, though. I think that every team in the NBA has to know that I’m a big threat, that if they don’t send multiple guys at me, I’m going to get going, and I’m going to be effective. When they start to do that and make those adjustments, it’s all about me seeing the next defender and making that play ahead of me,” Watson said.

“For me, right now, (it’s) just establishing myself as a scorer and as an offensive presence. I think that’s doing a lot for our team.”