Hornets 2K: Is P.J. Washington the Hornets’ most under-rated player?

The Charlotte Hornets made an interesting rotation decision this season. Despite starting nearly every game in his first two seasons, P.J. Washington shifted to a bench role in his third season with the Swarm. This move not only helped Miles Bridges blossom, but it also helped develop Washington’s game as well.

Raising his two-point field goal percentage from 48% to 60.6% this season, Washington posted the highest effective field goal percentage (57.3 eFG%) total of his career this season. Although he had the best shooting season of his career, his NBA 2K rating did not increase at all throughout the season.

Sitting at 78 overall, Washington is joined by a slough of frontcourt players in the 78-to-79 overall range. A few of the notable names joining Washington are LaMarcus Aldridge, Alperen Sengun, Jarred Vanderbilt, Marvin Bagley, Onyeka Okongwu, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jonathan Kuminga.

While some of these players (Aldridge and Sengun) are deserving of this ranking, several fall short when compared to Washington. Not only did P.J. make the most triples in this group of aforementioned players, but he also averaged the third-most points per game, the second-highest assists per game, the second-highest steals per game, and the third-highest blocks per game amongst this group of big men.

With these numbers on his side, Washington’s overall rating of 78 makes little sense when compared to his frontcourt counterparts of the same rating. At his current standing, he is being compared to bench players and rookies. He is better than that at this point in his career.

With an 80 overall rating, Washington would be comparable to Mohamed Bamba, Aaron Gordon, and Harrison Barnes, who are all starting-caliber players on their respective teams. With an increase to his defensive stats (Interior Defense, Steal, Block, and Defensive Consistency) and overall inside scoring efficiency, Washington would be more accurately rated on NBA 2K.

While he could also use some more Badges, that is a topic for another day. For now, the Hornets should utilize Washington while he remains on his rookie contract. When the time comes, he should get a substantial payday and 2K rating increase to go along with it.