An up-and-down season for PJ Washington

PJ Washington became a beloved figure for the Dallas Mavericks after the 2024 trade that brought the passionate forward over from the Charlotte Hornets for Grant Williams and a protected 2027 first-round pick. PJ established himself as a vocal leader of the team, an ever-reliable defensive presence, and a hometown hero who played a vital part in the story of the 2025–2026 Dallas Mavericks.

Season in Review

Washington played a career low 56 games this past season, which fell just short of last year’s total of 57 games, and started 53 of those games. Despite spotty availability due to enduring ankle issues throughout the season, PJ put up counting stats very similar to last year’s, averaging 14 points, seven total rebounds, just shy of two assists, and one steal and block each per game on the season. As the originally intended “tall ball” starting lineup morphed early to accommodate injuries to both Dereck Lively II and Anthony Davis within the first seven games, PJ Washington’s role and involvement both bloated to an unmanageable degree. The typically off-ball forward was asked to create for himself more often alongside other inexperienced shot creators like rookie “point guard” Cooper Flagg, Hall of Fame corner-sitter Klay Thompson, and the inexperienced Naji Marshall. This led to many ugly offensive possessions, early shot clock heaves with no advantage created, and horrible floor balance that Washington contributed to by averaging a near career low 32.5% from three.

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Despite scoring points seemingly through sheer volume of minutes and attempts, PJ did still provide real value in one part of his original role. The often out-of-position forward contested nine shots at the rim per 100 possessions, causing opponents to shoot 7% less than expected on those field goal attempts (which is good for the 83rd percentile at his position group) while only fouling on 8.4% of his rim contests (which is in the 90th percentile for his position group). When slotted in his proper role on defense as a weak-side rim protector, PJ was still stellar at blocking, altering, and even deterring shots at the…

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Publish date : 2026-05-16 13:00:00

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