Age: 31
Years Pro: 8
Status: Free Agent
Key Stats: Averaged 10 points and 3.6 assists in 57 games. Shot 40 percent from the 3-point line.
A case could be made for re-signing C.J. Watson this summer, given the fact he's coming off one of the best seasons of his eight-year NBA career.
Larry Bird put that notion to rest in his postseason press conference, though, saying he didn't plan to bring back the backup guard. Watson played just 57 games this past season because of a variety of nagging injuries, and 63 the previous season. Bird presumably will seek someone with a better attendance record.
Watson was perhaps the most anonymous player in the Pacers' locker room, a calm and silent study in obscurity. Hey, his nickname isn't Quietstorm for nothing. But he did kick up a few breezes this season.
His scoring average (10 points per game) was the second-best of his career, barely short of his 10.3 average in 2009-10. His assist average (3.6) also was second-best in his career, and his rebound average (2.9) was the best. He hit 40 percent of his 3-pointers, and shot a career-best .827 from the foul line.
PHOTO GALLERY: C.J. Watson's 2014-15 Season »
But, he missed the first 15 games and the last six with injuries, with four other absences sprinkled in-between.
Watson, at 6-2, is more of a shooting guard than point guard. He's unselfish, but not a drive-and-dish sort of player, and struggles to create shots for himself. He did shoot well most of the time, though, and wasn't a high-volume shooter. He scored a season-high 23 points three times, and didn't need more than 11 shots in any of those games.
When he got a starter's playing time, he provided a starter's production. In the 10 games he played 30 minutes or more, he averaged 15.7 points on 54 percent shooting from the field, 55 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 82 percent shooting from the foul line. He also averaged 4.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds in those games.
The quality of his work was fine. It was the quantity that was missing.
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