The Dallas Mavericks were one of the most active teams at the trade deadline, bringing in PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford to aid in the team’s frontcourt woes. The Mavericks are banking on Washington to provide an upgrade over Grant Williams at the four, with the former Charlotte Hornets forward being a more stout defensive presence, particularly against ballhandlers, since his move to Dallas.
But beyond Washington’s emergent defensive work, the Mavericks have high hopes that he’ll be able to slot into a bigger role on offense. Head coach Jason Kidd, in particular, believes that Washington is trending towards being the team’s tertiary scoring option after the 25-year old forward put up 23 points on 9-16 shooting from the field in their 136-125 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
“It would make it a lot easier if we have a third scorer. I think PJ is trending that way,” Kidd said in his postgame presser, per Brad Townsend of Dallas Morning News.
For the Mavericks, the top two of their offensive hierarchy is clear. Luka Doncic is the heliocentric force driving Dallas to great heights, while Kyrie Irving is as good of a secondary ballhandler as there is in the NBA. But on most nights, the Mavericks are begging for a third option to step up with Doncic and Irving facing a constant barrage of double teams.
Typically, that tertiary scoring option role falls on the shoulders of Tim Hardaway Jr. Hardaway can get hot in a hurry, and even on nights where his shot isn’t falling, his gravity is helpful to give the Mavericks’ ballhandlers a ton of space to work with. Alas, his indefatigable confidence can be Hardaway’s worst enemy at times, as his shot selection can infuriate even the most patient Mavs fan.
PJ Washington, however, doesn’t fit the bill of a prototypical third option. He doesn’t create much offense for himself; around 84 percent of his baskets this season have been assisted. But if Washington can continue to knock down open shots that Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving create for him and not fail to make extra passes when need be, he surely can fulfill Jason Kidd’s vision of him as the Mavericks’ third scorer.
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