The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Peyton Watson to a four-year, $88 million contract on August 19th, 2026. Watson is expected to start at small forward at the beginning of the season because of that investment.

As the Cavaliers’ projected starting small forward, Watson will take many three-pointers. Over the past two seasons under Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers’ starting small forward has primarily been a floor-spacer.

During the 2024-25 season, two players shared the starting small forward spot: Max Strus and Dean Wade. Both players took at least 78% of their shots from behind the arc for the Cavaliers, averaging at least 3.8 per game.

Most of those three-point attempts were catch-and-shoot, and both players averaged at least 3.6 per game.

Expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers starting small forward did not change during the 2025-26 season. The Cleveland Cavaliers use two players to fill the starting small forward role: De’Andre Hunter and Wade.

Together, they took at least 50% of their shots from behind the arc, averaging at least 3.3 per game. Once again, most of those three-point attempts came off catch-and-shoot, averaging at least two per game each.

At first glance, Peyton Watson appears to be a solid fit at starting small forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Watson shot 41.1% from behind the arc last season on 3.6 attempts per game, and 80.6% of those attempts were catch-and-shoot, averaging 2.9 per game. He made 46.2% of those attempts as a Denver Nugget last season.

If this were the only statistical evidence available, there would be no argument that Watson can excel in the role. However, 2025-26 was the only season where Peyton Watson was an above-average shooter, which raises questions about how well he fits the role long-term. 

Before last season, Peyton Watson was a below-average shooter. Over the two previous seasons, he made 32.3% of his three-point attempts on 1.9 attempts per game. He took 94.7% of those attempts off catch-and-shoot, averaging 1.8 per game. He shot 33% on catch-and-shoot threes over the previous two seasons.

Peyton Watson also had issues from behind the arc before entering the NBA. During his long season at UCLA, he shot 22.6% on 1 attempt per game. Although Peyton performed well from behind the arc last season, his long-term track record suggests he may struggle to fill the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting small forward role.