The Cleveland Cavaliers come into the 2026-27 season looking to firmly establish themselves as a contender in the Eastern Conference. After a couple of semifinal appearances, they finally reached the Eastern Conference Finals this past year. But after being swept by the New York Knicks, they’re going to have prove their detractors wrong, and the Cavs will need a breakout season or two from players on the roster.
Evan Mobley continues to take steps forward and is a strong candidate to continue his ascension and potentially have a breakout season for the Cavs. There are a couple of younger players on the roster, Jaylon Tyson, Tyrese Proctor and Craig Porter Jr. who could conceivably have a breakout year. But the one player on the roster who is best positioned to have a breakout season for the Cavs is the newcomer, Peyton Watson Jr.
Peyton Watson Jr. in line for Cavs breakout season
When the Cavs lost out on the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes, they turned their attention to Peyton Watson. The restricted free agent wing hadn’t made any progress on a new contract with the Denver Nuggets, and the Cavs took advantage of the situation.
They ultimately worked out a multi-team sign-and-trade deal to land Watson. While he may not be James, the former first round pick was one of the best available wing options on the free agent market. He will immediately slot in to the Cavs starting small forward spot.
Watson is already coming off a breakout season with the Nuggets. A hamstring injury caused him to miss the entirety of the Nuggets’ opening round playoff series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but prior to that, he had been enjoying a breakthrough year.
He appeared in 54 games, including 40 starts, at a little over 29 minutes per game. He was averaging a career-best 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocked shots with splits of 49.1 percent shooting from the field, 41.1 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 73 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Watson will likely be the third or fourth option offensively, depending on where Mobley slots in. But he automatically becomes the Cavs’ best wing defensive player. Being in the starting lineup with more of a prominent role, and it’s not out of the question for Watson to be in the running for an All-Defensive team.
Article Continues BelowIf he were to be judged by his preseason stats, then it’s probably confusing as to why he would be a candidate to have a breakout year. He played in three preseason games for the Cavs while putting up so-so numbers of 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocked shots. He shot only 36.4 percent from the field and 16.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line.
Part of it is adjusting to new teammates, and part of it is having been sidelined during the playoffs and using part of the offseason to recover from an injury. There isn’t reason to panic for Cavs fans. He’s already shown flashes during preseason of the player the Cavs knew they were getting when they acquired him.
A change of scenery and a boosted role and perfect indicators of players potentially having a breakout season. For Watson, his job will be to hit open threes, finish around the basket off cuts, get out in transition, and defensively to guard the opposing team’s best wing player. If he can do those things, he’ll be the one Cavs player who can shock the NBA world with a breakout season.