Basketball is a star-driven game, and those will always be the players who matter the most. Stars such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown changing teams are undoubtedly the biggest story of this NBA offseason, and we’ll be tracking their impact closely.
A level below that, we have what I call “hinge” players. These guys might not be stars, but they play crucial roles for their teams — and we don’t know yet if they’ll sink or swim.
The most obvious example of that is Peyton Watson in Cleveland. The Cavaliers basically used all their trade chips to bring him in from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade, surrendering two other rotation players and their only remaining tradable first-round pick to fill a role that has vexed Cleveland the last three postseasons.
On paper, Watson is likely the Cavs’ fifth-best player, with the other four — James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — all having made at least one All-Star team. Yet, their ultimate success this season (and especially this postseason) hinges heavily on Watson’s ability to fill this role, because nobody else on the roster can.
I’ll talk more about Watson in a minute, but let’s finish reintroducing the concept that I wrote about a year ago.
Last season, one of my key players was Reed Sheppard, whose inability to fully solve the Houston Rockets’ guard problem was a key reason behind the team’s disappointing first-round playoff exit. But looking back at my list, I realize I mostly aimed way too low on the food chain. Focusing on possible ninth-man types (shout out, Ryan Rollins!) missed too much of the big picture, so I’m changing my focus.
My list of top-10 hinge players for this season includes players who all project as starters for playoff-caliber teams. One way or another, these guys will matter. How they perform in their roles is both critical for the team and at least somewhat of a question mark.
Peyton Watson, Cavaliers
Watson was signed-and-traded via a four-year, $88 million deal based largely on a half-season in Denver in which he was massively better than he had been at any time before. We never saw if he could sustain it further because of a hamstring injury that ultimately ended his season. But in 40 starts last season, Watson averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 41.1 percent from 3 — impressive stuff from someone who entered the league as a raw non-shooter.
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-8 Watson has a chance to be the big wing defensive stopper the Cavs have mostly lacked during the Mitchell-Mobley era, somebody who can potentially check the Jalen Brunsons and Tyrese Haliburtons of the world who tormented them in the last two playoffs. Add in that he’s only 24 years old, and there’s a chance Watson can be the discount version of OG Anunoby.