It may not have been the most popular pick, but PJ Washington will bring an NBA ready skill set to the Charlotte Hornets as a rookie.
Going into Thursday night, there was a lot of uncertainty about what the Charlotte Hornets were going to do during the 2019 NBA Draft. Do they keep the 12th pick? Do they trade up? Do they trade down?
Well, those questions were answered, as the Hornets stood pat and decided not to move any of their picks. At the end of the night, they have to feel satisfied with a haul of PJ Washington (12th), Cody Martin (36th) and Jalen McDaniels (52nd).
The Hornets were on the clock right after the Phoenix Suns made arguably the biggest surprise pick of the night, selecting North Carolina’s Cameron Johnson 11th overall. While I was aware Washington was an option for Charlotte, I thought that the team could prefer prospects like Brandon Clarke, Goga Bitadze and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
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Nonetheless, Washington was the Hornets man after all, and it was a safe option for them. Washington may never be a star in the NBA, but he’s going to be a good player for a very long time, and should be the teams starting power forward in a few years.
Some fans were down on the Washington selection, but I think getting to see him play in Summer League will change some perspective on him. He’s a good player that was picked right around his draft range and will be able to contribute right away.
I think the Hornets overall had a strong draft. We will get into the two second round picks later on, but now, we are going to take a look at four reasons why (no order) Washington and was a good pick for the Hornets at 12th overall.
Let’s get into this!