Thunder signs Paul Watson Jr. to two-way contract. Here's what to know about new OKC forward.

The Thunder has signed 26-year-old forward Paul Watson Jr. to a two-way contract, the team announced Wednesday. 

Oklahoma City had an open two-way slot after waiving Josh Hall on Sunday. 

Teams can have a maximum of two players signed to two-way contracts, and Watson will join rookie Aaron Wiggins as the Thunder’s second two-way player. 

Here are three things to know about Watson: 

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Fresno State standout

Fun fact: Watson is the second Paul from Fresno State to play for the Thunder. The first, of course, was Paul George. 

Watson played for the Bulldogs from 2013-17. He was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2014, and he went onto start 128 of his 135 college games. 

The Phoenix native averaged 10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds for his career. Watson shot 46% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. 

He ranks 17th on Fresno State’s all-time scoring list. 

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G League veteran 

Watson signed with the G League Westchester Knicks after going undrafted. The 6-foot-6 forward played 95 games — making 55 starts — for Westchester from 2017-19. 

He joined Toronto’s G League team, Raptors 905, prior to the 2019-20 season. That’s when Watson took off. 

After averaging 6.2 and 8.2 points per game in his first two G League seasons, Watson averaged 19 points in 30 games with the Raptors’ G League squad. And his 3-point attempts doubled. He shot 42% from behind the arc on 7.2 attempts per game. 

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NBA debut

Watson’s strong G League play caught the eye of the Atlanta Hawks, which signed Watson to a 10-day contract in January 2020. 

Watson played just two games for Atlanta, going 0-of-7 in 17 minutes. 

A day after being waived by the Hawks, the Raptors brought Watson back to Toronto — this time on a two-way contract. 

He played eight games for the Raptors to finish the 2019-20 season. 

The Raptors signed Watson to a standard contract before last season. He played 27 games and made two starts, one of which came against the Thunder. 

Watson didn’t attempt a high volume of 3-pointers, but he was extremely efficient. He shot 47% from deep on 2.4 attempts per game. He was 30-of-64 overall from 3-point range. 

Watson erupted for a career-high 30 points on April 16 against the Magic. He shot 8-of-11 from distance. 

Still, the Raptors waived Watson last month, and no team was quick to scoop him up.

The Thunder will give him a look on a two-way contract, which he’s still eligible to sign because he has three years or fewer of NBA experience. 

Who knows what Mark Daigneault’s rotation will look like, but Watson shouldn’t have trouble getting shots up if the minutes are there. It’s worth testing the legitimacy of his 3-point shooting, which stands at a sharp 45% through 37 NBA games. 

At 26, Watson is old for a two-way player, and old compared to his teammates. 

He’ll turn 27 in December, making him the fourth-oldest player on the roster behind Mike Muscala, Derrick Favors and Kenrich Williams.