Gonzaga’s Anton Watson reflects on emotional NBA Draft: 'I've never seen my dad cry like that'

'It was just a special moment,' Watson said after being drafted by the Boston Celtics

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

As the middle of the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft arrived - about 2:30 p.m. local time in Spokane - Anton Watson was starting to feel nervous.

Most mock drafts didn’t have the now-former Gonzaga men’s basketball standout being chosen with one of the 58 picks. Once the first round concluded Wednesday, Watson was the 45th best available player on ESPN’s big board heading into day two (he was 64th on The Athletic’s big board prior to the draft). But with so much uncertainty surrounding what some analysts have deemed one of the weaker class of draft prospects in recent memory, it was anyone’s guess what could happen throughout the course of the first two-day draft in NBA history.

With the 45th pick, the Sacramento Kings selected Jamal Shead out of Houston. With the 46th pick, the Los Angeles Clippers drafted Cam Christie from Minnesota. Next, Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves went to the Orlando Magic at No. 47. Watson, with his friends and family gathered at the Centennial Hotel near downtown Spokane, felt stressed at this point.

“Started getting a little tense in there,” Watson said.

With the 52nd pick, the Golden State Warriors selected Boston College’s Quinten Post. A few minutes later the Detroit Pistons took UConn’s Cam Spencer. By now Watson had an inkling of which team was eyeing him, barring any unforeseen, last-minute trade.

And then, it was all over. After claiming back-to-back Washington state titles at Gonzaga Prep, overcoming a shoulder injury as a freshman in college, waiting patiently for his turn to take on a bigger responsibility as an upperclassman and subsequently thriving as the Bulldogs’ do-it-all Swiss Army knife who could solve just about every problem on the floor; the Spokane kid was going to the big leagues, finally. With the 54th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics drafted Anton Watson, Gonzaga.

“It was just a special moment,” Watson said. “I've never seen my dad cry like that. First time ever, really. And yeah, [family and friends] were just all super proud of me. Just to be in that moment and have all of them support me, support what I've done throughout my whole life and career. They knew I was ready to be in that position, so it was just kind of full circle and I just took it all in.”

There was a lot to take in just from the past few weeks alone, as Watson held pre-draft workouts with several teams, including Boston, and bounced around the country from one gym to the next — all while still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered during the G League Elite Camp in May.

“It was definitely a concern,” Watson said of his ankle injury. “That kind of hindered other teams from seeing me, and then I had to miss probably a week and a half of workouts I probably could have been doing just recovering.”

Once he was back on his feet, Watson was constantly on the move. From Houston to Cleveland then to Los Angeles, followed by Chicago, Phoenix. Orlando, Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto. Watson was all over the country showcasing his versatile skillset in front of coaches and executives for about three straight weeks, hopping from one workout to another — a preview of what’s to come as an NBA player going from one city to the next.

Players face fewer back-to-back games than in previous years, as the average for a team in 2023-24 was 13.3 back-to-backs — down by 27.5% from the year prior. Still, that’s a lot more traveling than Watson was accustomed to at Gonzaga, which played most of its games in the Pacific Time Zone. When he wasn’t grinding through a workout or hustling to catch a flight, Watson sought to do anything that would keep him mentally sharp.

“I was doing puzzles. I was trying to figure out something that maintained my peace while I was flying every day,” Watson said. “I think that's the biggest thing, just having good habits. I think that's going to be huge going forward.”

Watson admitted he’s not too familiar with Boston outside of his two brief experiences in the city for pre-draft workouts, though he has become acquainted with the Celtics’ de facto general manager, Brad Stevens. Watson said Stevens liked the 6-foot-8 forward’s defensive versatility, particularly his lateral movement and ability to switch onto big men in the post. Perhaps the most important aspect of Watson’s future as a pro will be his 3-point shot, an area he’s ready to expand after a vote of confidence from Stevens.

“He had his eye on me and he kind of told me, he likes me a lot, likes GU and knows what I bring to the team,” Watson said of Stevens. “He has confidence in my shot. That was huge, hearing it from him … he wants me to let it fly. So in these workouts, I've been shooting a lot of threes, you know, letting it fly. Once it comes to the game, I think he wants to see me do that and build that confidence.”

In his three years at the helm of the Celtics’ basketball operations, Stevens has made key chess moves in sustaining and building off the foundation that was laid down by Danny Ainge. Stevens was the one who traded the franchise’s heart and soul in Marcus Smart in order to acquire center Kristaps Porzingis, followed by a move that sent fan-favorite Robert Williams and guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Portland Trail Blazers for NBA All-Defensive player Jrue Holiday. In between those trades, Stevens inked Jaylen Brown to a supermax extension worth $304 million over the next five years in a deal many people were quick to conclude as an overpay.

Of course, everyone knows how that turned out. Boston will hang banner No. 18 in the rafters on opening day next fall after a dominant 2023-24 campaign, in which it compiled an overall record of 80-21 (64-18 in the regular season, 16-3 in the playoffs) while Brown was named the Finals MVP.

Stevens’ track record with draft picks is limited, considering he hadn’t taken a player in the first round until Wednesday, when he took Creighton’s Baylor Sheierman with the 30th overall pick. Last year Stevens didn’t even get to use a pick after he traded the 35th overall selection in the Smart trade. In 2022 the Celtics took JD Davidson, who’s actually younger than Watson as a one-and-done prospect from Alabama.

“It's a winning culture with the Celtics. I think everyone knows that” Watson said. “I think they want me to come in and try to produce like right away. Develop as a player, develop in the league and you know, what I do best is win games.”

With most of the Celtics’ championship roster back for another run, Watson understands there’s the possibility he’ll be spending most of his rookie season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. It might not be the same as playing in front of 6,000 rowdy fans at the Kennel, but Watson views the assignment as a way to build confidence in his jumpshot and an opportunity to earn valuable reps while going up against other young players from around the association. Similarly, the NBA Summer League next month in Las Vegas will be key in setting the foundation for Watson's pro career.

Watson hopes to sponge as much information as possible from his new teammate and 17-year NBA veteran, Al Horford. Like Watson, Horford didn’t take many 3-pointers in college before arriving to the NBA. As the modern game evolved from when he entered the league in 2004, Horford expanded his range to keep up with the demands of pacing and spacing. In his first eight seasons, Horford attempted 65 total 3-pointers. Over his his last nine seasons he's attempted 2,210 threes (3.8 per game) and shot 38.1%.

“He's been in the league forever so just learning from him, I think that's going to help me so much,” Watson said of Horford. “And when he came into the league, he wasn't a 3-point shooter, but he developed into that.”

Watson’s considerable strides as an outside shooter, among other aspects of his offensive game that came to shine this past season, were one of the reasons why he felt he was ready for the NBA. He leaves Gonzaga as the third-winningest player in program history (132-19, .874 winning percentage) and as the only player to finish with over 1,400 points, 700 rebounds, 200 assists and 215 steals in a career.

“All the time I was at GU, I always made the little plays and plays that don’t always show up on the stat sheet,” Watson said. “Just feeling like I can help any team and be that player that makes winning plays. I feel like I've always had that.”