Get to Know Thunder Signee Paul Watson Jr.

Get to know Oklahoma City's most recent singing Paul Watson Jr.

The Thunder waived two-way player Josh Hall on Sunday, allowing then to sign Paul Watson Jr. to a two-way contract.

At 27-years-old, Watson Jr. will be entering his fifth season in the NBA this year. He has played for the Hawks and Raptors. He’s averaged 3.8 points per game in his professional career, tacking on 1.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

In three G-League seasons, he’s averaged 10.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. Most recently for the Raptors 905, he averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 30 contests

Watson Jr.’s best ever game came against the Orlando Magic in April, where he made eight 3-pointers to finish with 30 points in a Raptors win.

A four-year player at Fresno State, Watson Jr. helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. He was selected as the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2014.

Watson Jr. went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, working out with just the Suns prior to the draft.

Watson Jr. will now take over the Thunder’s other two-way contract spot alongside rookie Aaron Wiggins. In a rebuilding season, it won’t be unrealistic to see Watson Jr. get minutes on Oklahoma City’s squad.

The Thunder will start their preseason slate on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. against the Hornets. They’ll kick off their regular season on Oct. 20 agains the Utah Jazz.


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Derek Parker
DEREK PARKER

Derek is the Publisher for InsideTheThunder.com and Draft Digest for Fan Nation, powered by Sports Illustrated. He has been a sports writer in the Oklahoma City market for five years now, primarily covering the Oklahoma City Thunder and NBA Draft.