P.J. Washington Emerging as Key Mavs Impact Player; Can He Become 'Third Scorer'?

The Mavs would like P.J. Washington to emerge as the third scoring option alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as he acclimates to the team.

BOSTON — The Dallas Mavericks made a significant trade to acquire P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets before the midseason deadline. After recording 23 points, six rebounds, and three blocks against the Toronto Raptors, he's coming off his most dynamic outing since joining the team. 

Washington's scoring output will be tied significantly to his catch-and-shoot results, given he's primarily spacing the floor for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. He's averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 30.9 minutes per game, shooting 44.8 percent overall and 29.4 percent from the perimeter with the Mavs, solidifying himself as the starting power forward. 

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Washington has shown flashes of being a threat as the big in pick-and-roll, being a post scorer against mismatches, attack closeouts, and being a versatile defender. He views the Mavs' superstar backcourt as being the "best one-two punch" in the NBA, making it important for him to do the little things on both ends and complement them to help the unit be successful. 

"In my role, just come out, be aggressive on both ends of the floor, take open shots, guard," Washington said. "No matter who they tell me to guard just being able to play with those two guys is special. Obviously, they're the best one-two punch in the league, in my opinion. So, just being able to play off them opens up everybody's game, and it makes it hard for teams to guard us."

Perhaps most fascinating about the early returns of Washington's Mavs tenure has been the continued impact he's provided despite being one of the NBA's least efficient catch-and-shoot players during this period. He's produced just 0.931 points per possession (PPP) on these shot attempts, ranking 367th among 537 players who have registered at least 20 attempts this season. 

Against the Raptors, Washington showed the Mavs what his impact can look like when he consistently connects from beyond the arc. He shot 9-16 from the floor and 5-10 from beyond the arc while continuing to defend at a high level. 

"I just felt like I was getting more comfortable each and every game," Washington said. "Obviously, my teammates did a good job of finding me tonight. I was hitting shots."

A consistent message about Washington from Kidd has been the need for him to provide an added dynamic element to the Mavs' offense alongside their superstar talents. For a team that has often deployed one-dimensional role players next to Doncic, Washington presents a continued effort to bolster the talent in the supporting cast, raising an important question: can he be the third scoring option in the hierarchy of the offense? 

“We would like to be consistent with a third,” Kidd said. “Yes, that would make coaching or being a teammate a little bit easier, knowing who’s going to be there on a consistent basis. And I think P.J. is starting to trend that way.”

The Mavs envision an ideal output from Washington being an emergence as the clear-cut third scoring option to provide necessary relief next to Doncic and Irving in the offense. By having a consistent hierarchy with Washington factoring into the equation in such a way, Dallas foresees a successful formula.

“He was letting the three go, and he was being aggressive,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “And he did what he’s done since he’s been here defensively, playing at a high level. So if we can count on that [scoring], that puts us in a different category, with having three consistent scorers.”

With an elite playmaker like Doncic, who sees a few steps ahead of the defense with the passing talent to capitalize, Washington sees a significant opportunity to receive those deliveries. Specifically on passing from the Slovenian superstar, he's been assisted on 17 made shots, shooting 17-35 (48.6 percent) overall and 6-15 from the perimeter (40.0 percent) entering Friday's game against the Boston Celtics.  

“Just seeing the way he breaks down the game and the way he can pass the ball, I think it’s special," Washington said of Doncic. "I haven’t been able to play with anybody of his caliber, so just to see that each and every night has been incredible.”

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With Washington being 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, he possesses intriguing physical tools to guard multiple positions and be an impactful help defender. He's put them all to great use with the Mavs, helping the team contain opponents to 108.2 points per 100 possessions in the 216 minutes he's been on the floor while outscoring opponents by 12.7 points per 100 possessions.  

“I love the fact that he talked about defense because we’re going to be holding him accountable,” Harrison said of Washington's defensive impact. “He can do a lot of things that he doesn’t show all the time because the game comes easy to him. So we’ll make sure to push him to get the best out of him.”

Doncic appreciates the impact Washington provides, highlighting how even when he doesn't score, he brings positive contributions to the team. For a player the Mavs envision as being capable of being a third scoring option, the franchise cornerstone trusts what he can do even when shots aren't falling.

"Yeah, he's been great all the time," Doncic said of Washington. "Sometimes, he doesn't score, but all around, he's been great for us. Great addition. I am just happy to have him on our team."