Former Long Beach Poly star Peyton Watson declares for 2022 NBA Draft, intends to sign with agent
Former Long Beach Poly star Peyton Watson declared for the 2022 NBA Draft on Tuesday.
Watson, a 2021 Poly grad, just finished his freshman year at UCLA. In a social media post, he said he intends to sign with an agent, which means he won't be eligible to return to college.
In his freshman season at UCLA, Watson averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He made 32 appearances for the Bruins but never started a game.
Due to COVID-19, Watson played sparingly in his senior season at Long Beach Poly, choosing to opt out at the end since games went all the way through mid June. (Watch highlights of Watson in high school above.)
In his junior season, Watson led Poly to a 17-13 record. The Jackrabbits advanced to the second round of the Division 1 Southern Section playoffs that year, losing to Riverside Poly 81-60.
Multiple NBA mock drafts (ESPN and NBA Draft.net) don't currently have Watson getting drafted. He'll have a chance to improve his stock at the draft combine and during individual pre-draft workouts for teams. Watson possesses incredible athleticism, which is why 247Sports.com ranked him as the No. 9 prospect nationally coming out of high school. That upside may lead to an NBA team selecting Watson in June.
