NBA Notes: Cavs, Peyton Watson, Pistons, Isaiah Joe, Rockets

Cavaliers

The Cavaliers paid a pretty significant price to get Peyton Watson. One analyst believes they’ll get plenty of threes in return.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report predicted Watson will make at least 150 3-pointers next season, nearly doubling the career-high 81 he hit last year in Denver.

Ashish Mathur of Cavs Roundtable highlighted the prediction, which makes sense when you consider how Cleveland is likely to use Watson.

The Cavs acquired the 23-year-old wing in the deal that sent Max Strus to the Clippers, then signed Watson to a four-year, $88 million contract.

Buckley’s point is that opponents will likely pack the paint against Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen while also loading up on James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. That should leave Watson with plenty of open looks.

Watson shot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc last season while averaging 14.6 points. If that shooting carries over with increased volume, the Cavs may finally have found the two-way wing they’ve been searching for.

Pistons

Isaiah Joe brings something to Detroit that nobody else on the current roster can claim. That would be a championship ring.

Caden Handwork of NBA on SI noted that Joe is the only Pistons player who has won an NBA title elsewhere, having been part of Oklahoma City’s championship team in 2025.

Detroit acquired Joe from the Thunder after the draft, adding one of the better perimeter shooters in the league. Joe averaged 11.1 points last season while shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range.

The Pistons don’t need him to be their leader. Cade Cunningham has that covered.

But for a team trying to turn last season’s No. 1 seed into something more, having somebody in the locker room who has actually been through a championship run certainly doesn’t hurt.

Rockets

ESPN isn’t expecting the Rockets to disappear from the Western Conference picture. Quite the opposite.

Its early projection has Houston finishing 51-31, behind only San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Denver in the West.

Eric Jay Santos of NBA on SI noted that would be only a slight improvement from the 50-win seasons Houston has posted in each of the past two years. The bigger question is whether the postseason result changes.

Kevin Durant remains the centerpiece after averaging 26.0 points last season, while Alperen Sengun is coming off another All-Star year and Amen Thompson is expected to take another step. Fred VanVleet‘s return should help, too.

Houston has been good enough to win 50 games. Now it needs to prove it can win when those games matter most.

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