A tip of the cap to the best Warriors player so far this season: C.J. Watson

December 30, 10:21 AMGolden State Warriors ExaminerMatt Steinmetz

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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.