Charlotte Hornets: How PJ Washington can continue to be great
With an impressing start of the season for the Charlotte Hornets’ 2019 lottery pick, he can continue to find ways to be great.
The Charlotte Hornets may have lost a lot during the offseason, but it seems that they made the right choice in this year’s draft. Their lottery-pick, PJ Washington, has been exceeding many fans’ expectations.
In Washington’s first six games as a professional, he’s averaged 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The last lottery pick for Charlotte to average over twelve points per game as a rookie was Kemba Walker.
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When the Hornets drafted Washington, they were really interested in what he could do in the post. The Hornets then found out that they got a player who could play in the post, while also being an efficient shooter from deep.
In his debut game against the Chicago Bulls, Washington had 27 points and was able to make seven three-pointers. His shots from the perimeter marked a new NBA rookie debut record for three-point shooting.
Through six games, Washington has knocked down fourteen three-pointers, while shooting 50% from beyond the arc. Washington only made 33 threes in his sophomore year at Kentucky, and he’s already almost halfway to that number as a rookie.
If Washington wants to continue to be great, he needs to continue to shoot the three-ball efficiently for Charlotte. Among NBA rookies, Washington is #2 in the number of three-pointers made.
Since the Hornets drafted Washington based on his inside scoring abilities, he’s actually shot well in the paint. Washington is shooting 60% in the paint, and he’s made five of six of the hook-shot attempts that he’s taken. Washington was known for his hook-shot in college.
Washington is also ranked #6 in scoring per game out of all rookies this season. Consistent scoring per game is the only way that Washington will continue to be great for the Hornets.
During the offseason, Coach James Borrego stated that he could see Washington playing both the power forward and center positions. Fans have seen Washington join Marvin Williams in the frontcourt at many times when Cody Zeller goes to the bench.
Washington has been very versatile for the Hornets, and Coach Borrego has been able to use him at multiple positions. His size gives him a disadvantage in the frontcourt, but it has not stopped him from being a productive scorer.
Being versatile will benefit Washington because it will lead to him receiving even more playtime. Washington is averaging 33.7 minutes per game; this is the most amount of playing time out of everyone on the Hornets roster.
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As the season progresses, I expect Washington to continue to get more playing time. If Washington continues to shoot the ball well from deep and average consistent numbers, then he should continue to have a successful rookie season.