BIRMINGHAM’S TRENDON WATFORD CONTINueS NBA GROWTH AS A BROOKLYN NET
By Jesse Kelley
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - January 29, 2024
Trendon Watford of the Brooklyn Nets has missed the last 21 games of the season due to a hamstring injury. Just in time for a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, Watford was removed from Brookyln’s injury report and is available to be back in action this evening against the Hornets. With other key contributors to the Nets also sidelined due to injury, Watford’s return to the hardwood provides an experienced and polished presence to the Nets’ frontcourt as they look to end a seven-game losing streak. With three seasons under his belt in the NBA, Watford is averaging 7.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in his career. After being signed to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021 out of college, Watford found a new home in Brooklyn after being waived by Portland in June of 2023. Since then, Watford has spent the last two seasons with the Nets after originally signing in 2023 and then resigning this past year in July of 2024.
Watford’s legacy in Birmingham goes far beyond the walls of Mountain Brook High School, as in Watford’s prep-career he helped the Spartans claim the 2017, 2018 and 2019 7A State Championships while being coached by current Samford men’s basketball head coach Bucky McMillan. In his senior season in 2019, Watford averaged 23.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 blocks as he led the Spartans to a 31-3 overall record. The McDonald’s All-American finished his career at Mountain Brook with 3,567 total points, which ranked him in the top-10 in AHSAA history for career points scored. Additionally, Watford set a new AHSAA record with 1,909 career rebounds on the way to being named the 2019 Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year. Watford also won Gatorade POY in 2018 as a junior.
After committing to LSU to play for Will Wade, Watford excelled at the collegiate level from the moment that he stepped onto campus in Baton Rouge. During Watford’s freshman season in 2019-20, he started 30 of the team’s 31 games and averaged 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per outing. The Tigers finished that season at 21-10 overall and 12-6 in SEC play, earning them the No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the remainder of the season. Watford finished his freshman year 20th in the SEC in scoring and sixth in total rebounds.
After his freshman campaign, Watford declared for the NBA Draft but elected to not sign an agent which would allow him to retain his collegiate eligibility. The 2020 All-SEC Freshman Team member elected to return for his sophomore season in early August of 2020. Over his sophomore year, Watford transitioned himself into one of the top power forwards in the entire country, as he improved upon nearly all of his statistical averages from the prior year. Watford accounted for 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 2020-21 while sharing the court with talented guards, Javonte Smart and Cam Thomas. Watford shined in the biggest moments while at LSU, which included a career-high 30-point effort in a thrilling SEC Championship Game matchup against Alabama. After the conclusion of the 2021 SEC Tournament, the Tigers would go on to earn an at-large bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament which was entirely played in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. After defeating St. Bonaventure in the First Round of the tournament, LSU fell to the No.1 seeded Michigan Wolverines in the Round of 32. Watford declared for the NBA Draft at the conclusion of the season and hired an agent, bringing his collegiate career to a close. He finished the 2020-21 year full of postseason honors and accolades, as he was chosen as a member of the 2021 All-SEC First Team, 2021 SEC All-Tournament Team and the 2021 All-Louisiana First Team.
On more of a personal note, Watford is the younger brother of Christian Watford who played for Tom Crean and the Indiana Hoosiers from 2009-13. The 2011-12 Hoosiers squad created one of the most iconic and memorable moments in college basketball history in a non-conference pairing against the Kentucky Wildcats on December 10, 2011 inside of Assembly Hall. Trendon’s big brother and Shades Valley alum, Christian, drilled a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to lift IU to a 73-72 victory over the top-ranked Wildcats. Kentucky would finish the season at 38-2 overall and win the 2012 NCAA Tournament with the two eventual top picks of the NBA Draft that season in Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, respectively. Christian would lead the Hoosiers to a 27-9 overall record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 where Kentucky would get their revenge, as the Wildcats punched their ticket to the Elite Eight, defeating Indiana, 102-90 inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.