Hornets add developing scorer in Washington

With the 12th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected PJ Washington, a power forward out of Kentucky.

Given the Hornets’ needs all over the court, they simply needed to select someone who could step in and at the very least be a steady part of the rotation. Washington provides this, as he showed a steady combination of strength, athleticism, scoring and rebounding needed from a power forward.

A promising sign for Washington was that he improved across all statistical categories from his freshman to sophomore year with the Wildcats, averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting a stellar 54.9 percent from the floor. He can also get to the free throw line, averaging 3.4 free throws on 5.1 attempts per game and improving his free throw percentage from 60.6 percent to 66.3 percent from his freshman to sophomore season.

However, perhaps the most positive development from Washington was his improvement from 3-point range. He wasn’t a volume shooter by any means, making just 33 in 35 games, but shot 42.3 percent from distance compared to going just 5-21 as a freshman, a major improvement and enough of one to make him a threat to stretch the floor for the Wildcats. If he continues to work on his 3-point shot and hit them as efficiently as he did in his sophomore season, he can be a huge contributor as a stretch-4 for the Hornets, similar to the role Marvin Williams has played for the team over the past few seasons.

Speaking of Williams, with the depth chart somewhat thin for Charlotte at the position, expect Washington to step up and be the top option at power forward behind Williams, and potentially even start to take minutes away from him. Additionally, with Williams entering the last season of his contract, Washington could end up being Charlotte’s long-term answer at the position if he has a strong rookie season.

At 6-8, 230 lbs, it’s hard to call Washington undersized, but he could have difficulty adjusting to the NBA in squaring off against much larger and lankier players than he did in college. This is why it’s so important for him to continue to develop his shot, as this will make him less reliant on trying to bully guys in the post, something that will be more difficult in the NBA, and give him the opportunity to be a more multifaceted offensive threat.

On the surface, this looks like a solid pick for the Hornets. What it will all come down to, though, is Washington’s development. As previously mentioned, the improvement he showed from year one to year two at Kentucky was promising and absolutely played a role in improving his draft stock to lottery status. If he can continue to grow like this, he has the potential to be a long-term answer for the Hornets at power forward and a player who can help take some of the scoring load off All-Star Kemba Walker, assuming he stays in Charlotte. However, if this development plateaus and he struggles to translate his game to the NBA level, he could end up yet another in a long line of draft busts for the Charlotte Hornets.