Anton Watson Explained

Anton Watson
Position:Power forward / small forward
Height Ft:6
Height In:8
Weight Lb:236
League:NBA
Team:Boston Celtics
Number:28
Birth Date:6 October 2000
Birth Place:Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, U.S.
High School:Gonzaga Prep
(Spokane, Washington)
College:Gonzaga (2019–2024)
Draft Year:2024
Draft Round:2
Draft Pick:54
Draft Team:Boston Celtics
Career Start:2024
Years1:–present
Team1:Boston Celtics
Years2:2024–present
Team2:Maine Celtics
Highlights:

Anton Michael Watson (born October 6, 2000[1]) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

High school career

Watson played varsity basketball for four years at Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington. In his sophomore season, he averaged 19 points per game and was named most valuable player (MVP) of the Greater Spokane League. Watson led his team to a league championship and a third-place finish at the Washington Class 4A state tournament.[2] As a junior, he averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists per game and won the Class 4A state title while earning tournament MVP honors.[3] Watson was selected to the USA Today All-USA Washington first team.[4] In his senior season, he averaged 21.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, helped Gonzaga Prep win a second consecutive 4A state championship. He was the unanimous MVP of the state tournament and recognized as Associated Press 4A Player of the Year and Washington Mr. Basketball.[5] On June 21, 2017, before his junior season, Watson committed to play college basketball for Gonzaga. He had also been in contact with Idaho, Washington and Washington State. Watson was considered a four-star recruit and the second-best player in the 2019 class from Washington.[6]

College career

On November 5, 2019, Watson debuted for Gonzaga, recording seven points, five rebounds and four assists in a win over Alabama State.[7] He had 15 points in a win over North Dakota on November 12.[8] Watson started four games with Killian Tillie recovering from knee surgery. On January 16, 2020, it was announced that Watson would undergo shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the season. He averaged 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15 games.[9]

Professional career

Boston / Maine Celtics (2024–present)

On June 27, 2024, Watson was selected with the 54th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in 2024 NBA draft[10] and on August 2, he signed a two-way contract with them.[11]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Gonzaga| 15 || 5 || 14.7 || .538 || .111 || .571 || 3.1 || 1.5 || 1.2 || .5 || 4.9|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Gonzaga| 32 || 17 || 18.9 || .631 || .150 || .650 || 3.3 || 1.2 || 1.2 || .6 || 6.9|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Gonzaga| 32 || 0 || 18.1 || .538 || .227 || .698 || 4.7 || 1.9 || 1.3 || .3 || 7.3|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| Gonzaga| 37 || 37 || 29.1 || .608 || .333 || .548 || 6.2 || 2.4 || 1.8 || .7 || 11.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24| style="text-align:left;"| Gonzaga| 35 || 35 || 31.3 || .578 || .412 || .653 || 7.1 || 2.6 || 1.5 || .7 || 14.5|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 151 || 94 || 23.7 || .586 || .307 || .627 || 5.2 || 2.0 || 1.4 || .6 || 9.6

Personal life

Watson's father, Deon Sr., played college basketball at Idaho (199094),[12] holds the Vandal record for career rebounds (877),[13] and played professionally in Europe and South America.[14] [15] Older brother Deon Jr. played college football at their father's alma mater (201316) as a tight end and wide receiver, and sister Haile played volleyball at Eastern Washington (2015) and Fresno State (2016–18).[2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Anton Watson. The Spokesman-Review. August 28, 2023.
  2. Web site: Nichols . Dave . Boys basketball preview: Anton Watson something special for Gonzaga Prep . . December 18, 2019 . December 6, 2017.
  3. Web site: Nichols . Dave . Head of the class: Gonzaga Prep’s Anton Watson remains calm under pressure entering senior season . . December 18, 2019 . December 5, 2018.
  4. Web site: 2017-18 ALL-USA Washington Boys Basketball Team . USA Today High School Sports . December 18, 2019 . April 16, 2018.
  5. Web site: Nichols . Dave . Gonzaga Prep’s Anton Watson named ‘Mr. Basketball’ by state coaches association . . December 18, 2019 . March 7, 2019.
  6. Web site: Meehan . Jim . Gonzaga Prep standout Anton Watson orally commits to Gonzaga . . December 18, 2019 . June 21, 2017.
  7. Web site: Kispert Leads No. 8 Gonzaga Over Alabama State 95-64 . Gonzaga University Athletics . . December 18, 2019 . November 5, 2019.
  8. News: Petrusev leads No. 8 Gonzaga over North Dakota 97-66 . December 19, 2019 . . . November 12, 2019.
  9. News: Meehan . Jim . Gonzaga freshman forward Anton Watson will have shoulder surgery, out for the season . January 19, 2020 . . January 16, 2020.
  10. Web site: Khari. Thompson. Celtics select Gonzaga's Anton Watson with No. 54 overall pick. Boston.com. June 27, 2024. June 28, 2024.
  11. Boston Celtics. We have signed Anton Watson to a two-way contract ☘️. 1819433253016617118. celtics. August 2, 2024. August 2, 2024.
  12. News: Idaho St. has UI's number . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho) . Grummert . Dale . March 12, 1994 . 1B.
  13. Web site: 2017–18 Men's Basketball media guide: Career records . University of Idaho Athletics . 2017.
  14. Web site: Cotterill . TJ . Seattle Times All-State boys basketball team: All the winning sets Gonzaga Prep’s Anton Watson apart . . December 18, 2019 . March 10, 2019.
  15. Web site: Blanchette . John . Blanchette: Parallels of the two Deon Watsons are obvious in their Idaho careers . . December 18, 2019 . December 20, 2016.