C.J. Watson: Quietly, a nice signing last January
The other day I was talking Warriors with a buddy, and we started discussing who’s having a good year and who isn’t.
We talked a little about Stephen Jackson’s good intentions but not-so-great play; we talked about Andris Biedrins, among the league’s leading rebounders and still shooting well above 50 percent from the field; and we talked about Marco Belinelli’s arrival.
Far as I’m concerned, there is no debate. The Warrior player having the best season:C.J. Watson.
When the Warriors signed Watson out of the D-League last January, it was little more than a necessity move. Troy Hudson wasn’t working out and so the Warriors needed another smallish guy.
He was a third point guard, nothing more, and who knew if he could even be that?
Now, almost a year later Watson is very much part of the Warriors’ rotation and contributing on a consistent basis. And not only that, Watson might have won the Warriors a couple of ballgames in the past week.
Watson’s nickname is the “Quiet Storm” because ... well, he’s really, really quiet. Except, of course, when he’s delivering late-game daggers like he did against Boston (twice) and last night against Toronto.
The bottom line is that no Warrior is playing up to his potential any more than Watson. He's having a heck of a year.
Watson may have the most reliable jumper on the team, and on the defensive end he is capable of jump-starting the Warriors in transition because of his ability to get steals and wreak some havoc.
Watson is not a true point guard, and sometimes that’s difficult to wrap your head around considering he’s only 6-foot-2 and not a natural-born scorer. You want him to be a distributor and lead the fastbreak. But he’s not that kind of player at all, really.
What Watson is more than anything else, though, is solid.
He’s shooting 47 percent from the field, 46 percent from 3-point range and almost 80 percent from the line. The guy's averaging 10 a game, for goodness sakes.
He’s the best Warrior at coming up with a loose ball. Oh, and did we mention he's as tough as anyone on the team.
We've heard about Stephen Jackson's left hand, Corey Maggette's hamstring, Jamal Crawford's groin and certainly Monta Ellis' ankle. Well, what about Watson's screwed-up elbow?
Guy's been playing with a brace on the elbow of his shooting hand most of the season without a peep. How can you not get behind that?
In the past two Warriors wins, he's made the biggest shots ... the two against Boston and the one last night against Toronto that put them up four. That little right wing jumper of his is virtually automatic. Quite frankly, I think I'd rather have C.J. Watson than Earl Watson.
As the Warriors head into January, it just seems like the right time to give props to the Warrior most playing up to his ability: C.J. Watson.
Comments
BOOM! MIP!!!!!
Fitz is preparing his remarks about our awesome .500 record since the D Coord. position was filled...
thanks for your good work matt, helluva blog.......can you inform us as to who drove the decision to sign maggette....was that a mully move, or was it a rowell/nellie move?....and also, who worked on the crawford/harrington deal, since i believe mully had brrn put out to pasture at that point....was that the work of riley?....just curious.....thanks again for all the insight
matt, nice to see CJ getting some praise. He def is no star, but looks to be a hard working/grateful player. You cant say that about a lot of pro athletes. its good to find guys like him and azubuike.
I think Watson is having a terrific season as well. But, I only came to this conclusion last night after the Toronto game. Let's start with the bad: he can't lead a fast break, he can't find the roller on a pick-n-roll, and his overall offensive awareness is nothing special.
The good: his shot is super consistent and efficient. By efficient, I mean he's got a quick release but not herky-jerky like Crawford. It's very smooth and soft, and he wastes very little energy on it. Almost like a set shot except not like Stephen Jackson.
I'm not sure if he's having the best season out of all the Warriors, but he's doing quite well for himself with the opportunities he's been given. I would say Marco has been the brightest spot and his numbers show it. Both him and Watson are having fun out there.
Azubuike is having a good year too, but like Watson, he can't pass for crap and he often kills the offensive rhythm.
Both Watson and Azubuike are GREAT backups, but I doubt nothing more unless they can significantly improve their major deficiencies.
He's been a nice role player, and made a couple vital shots in the last two games. BUT, CJ competes with Crawford for "worst defender" on the team, and maybe the conference, honors, and he is a "shoot-first" PG with very little court vision. A useful player, but when Monta comes back, he won't be needed.
Matt, I still have mixed feelings towards CJ...
Random question, if you had to cut one guy from the rotation... would you cut CJ or Kelenna?
Matt, I still have mixed feelings towards CJ...
Random question, if you had to cut one guy from the rotation... would you cut CJ or Kelenna?
I agree...He's been clutch and has come up for the Dubs the past few games. He's not the best individual defender, but he sure annoyed Calderon enough to produce a few turnovers. He's non-stop on defense, his motor is always running and you rarely see him lax. I can't say the same for Jamal Crawford who had an off night offensively and defensively. I like JC and we all know what he's capable of, but when he's of he's OFF. I'm glad the "Quiet Storm" stepped up and went Katrina on Toronto's comeback.
Bibby 09 = Baron 07.
Deal with it, Bandwagon.
Although they all have suspect defense, CJ Watson has shown a very consistent jumper. However he has also shown an inability to finish at the rim or run the break, two very necessary qualities needed for a PG in this system. And he commands about 26 minutes a game. If the W's need 26 minutes of play out of a CJ Watson, then they do have some real issues.
What makes Watson's emergence so great is he got dissed so bad by everybody prior to the season. Many believed there was no way Watson could fill in for Monta, so we had this big nationwide search for a PG that led to a bad trade and lot's of hair-pulling by coaches, fans - everybody but Watson. CJ just shrugged it all off, continued to work and train hard, which led to this breakout season for him. It's a great story, really.
Amazingly, the guy who started this mad dash for a point guard -- Baron Davis - is shooting 36% for the Clippers., while CJ is shooting 46%! Basketball can be a funny game sometimes, as Matt's superb coverage of the Warriors reminds us in this fine article.
Yes, the emergence is spectacular.
Every week, a new distraction from the Suck.
I'll give him his due, he is stepping up but the best player...yeah RIGHT! Andris is the man on this team, without Andris we couldn't get one rebound. Watson needs to practice that two on one break a lil more and be a bit more crafty with his passes. I think what were seeing is he's playing over his head
erm, do you watch the games? the only reason the w's are competing in late-game scenarios is because marco is a gem that encourages ball movement. don't you see how the team collapses when he's on the bench? cj is a 'pg' that can't dribble, pass, defend, and has no court vision. all his looks are open; nba players should be able to hit open shots. but i guess he's having the best season. marco and andris are the only bright spots on the team.
SK,
Marco was benched for massive ball movement suck last night, dude. Watson saved the day, just like the Boston game. Watch a game now and then.
CJ still can't run a 2 on 1 if his life depended on it.
cant play a lick of defense like the rest of the warriors......has a very nice 16' jumper and comes cheap.....
You've got to be kidding. Matt, your perspicacity has taken a real hit with me over this weird observation. The guy simply can't finish a drive in traffic; I've never seen a pg as bad as him in this regard in decades of watching NBA games. He dribbles too long and the synch of the team gets off because of that. His plus minus score is horrible and nearly always among the worst on the team. He can shoot, but is a two and not so big or explosive as he'd have to be to be a successful two. As a point, he's horrible and our record reflects that fact. Often when he goes out we start a run and it's not accidental. He had a good scoring night in the last game and played one of his best in weeks. But he still couldn't finish a drive and his bad games way outnumber his good ones.
CJ is the toughest and most consistent Warrior. How he plays with a hurt elbow and shoots so well, I have no idea.
I've played with a bruised bone on my elbow and a sprained elbow on my shooting arm. The sprain really hampered my Free throw shooting and long range shooting, which is why CJ struggled early on during the season.
CJ has a tear, so I really give him a TON OF CREDIT. I've also played with strained groins(just take a lot of Advil), strained calves, etc. However to be shooting the ball as well as CJ with a torn elbow ligaments is just astounding.
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