Mavericks Starter Believes 'The Sky's the Limit'

The starting power forward has big expectations for Dallas in 2024.

Keenan Womack | Oct 2, 2024

Sep 30, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) poses for a photo during the 2024 Dallas Mavericks media day. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks power forward P.J. Washington has designs on an NBA Championship this upcoming season – just ask him. He said the desire to win the coveted Larry O'Brien Trophy drove him when talking about the NBA Finals. He discussed this and more at his Media Day availability, speaking with WFAA.

"It's exciting," he said of the opportunity to play for a title. "It woke me up each and every morning. I was excited to get to the gym and get 1% better every day. Obviously, that's our end goal, and we can't wait to get there."

Despite losing in the Finals, Washington still has a positive outlook about the experience overall, citing the fact that the Mavericks were an underdog even to reach the Finals in the first place. When looking at their odds before the playoffs to come out of the West, they were long shots, something that isn't lost on the power forward.

"I look at it as a positive. I can't look at it as a negative, because people didn't think we would be there. For us, it's a learning experience. We had games we felt like we could have won, and we didn't...This is our time to get back there."

When asked what he learned in particular from the trip to the Finals, he explained how the process impacted his mindset: "[What we learned was] the detail of everything...about ourselves and how we can play together...what we need to do each and every night to get to where we want to be, which is the top of the mountain."

When asked about the addition of Klay Thompson and what it meant to the franchise, Washington expressed his excitement, even including the other acquisitions as positive moves that could help impact winning: "We want to get back to where we were. That's the whole goal. Adding guys like Klay [Thompson], Naji [Marshall], and Quentin [Grimes] is great for our team. We're going to be really good this year."

Washington, who was acquired midway through last season, was a major reason why the Mavericks were able to reach the heights they did, especially considering his series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He more than anyone can appreciate what new blood brings to a franchise.

As he said in the interview, with this roster, "the sky is the limit."

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KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.