Peyton Watson gets brutally honest about why Anthony Edwards is such a tough matchup

Over the past few years, Peyton Watson has developed into a solid defender whom the Denver Nuggets have trusted to guard star players. With his 6'8" frame and his high-level athleticism, it was the optimal role for him. He did well, especially when it came to his shot-blocking ability.

Considering Watson had to play against plenty of star players, one name in particular stood out to him. That is Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards, who is one of the league's most talented scorers. Watson admits that he has a hard time playing against him, which is a normal opinion for most defenders.

Peyton Watson deems Anthony Edwards one of the toughest matchups in the NBA

Edwards has been one of the most feared scorers in the league for his entire career. He has gone from being a superb slasher to becoming one of the league's most dangerous three-level scorers. He always has a counter-move against defenders, and Watson got a front-row seat to that almost every Nuggets-Timberwolves game.

Now that Watson is playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he won't see Edwards that often. However, he will be playing against some of the Eastern Conference's best, which includes Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, so that experience against Edwards will be valuable.

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Edwards is such a tough matchup because he has fully adapted to the NBA. Back in the day, he was a pure slasher who could get past anyone due to his speed and athleticism. Now, he can also step back for a three, where he shot 39.9% in the 2025-26 season.

"Anthony Edwards is super tough to defend because he’s so explosive, but he also shoots 40% from three. Explosive, strong, fast. A little bit lower center of gravity than me. So like he’s someone that in the past like I’ve had problems with guarding. I've had some games I guarded him pretty well, and we won the game, but I've had games when he's torching us," Watson said about defending Edwards in his appearance on the Curious Mike podcast.

Watson has shown that he can hang with the star players, and with Edwards serving as the premier shooting guard today, that is a good sign for Watson and the Cavaliers moving forward.

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