BOSTON – Thirteen minutes after the Feb. 10 press conference in which trade acquisitions P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford were introduced to North Texas, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison acted strangely.
Asked about the inflated deal price, Harrison instead used the opportunity to make a point about and against Washington.
“One thing you don't know is that P.J. has great talent,” Harrison said.
Earlier in the press conference, Harrison smiled as Washington talked about his role as a versatile defender. Now, as Harrison spoke, it was obvious why he laughed.
“I really like the fact that he talked about defense, because we're going to hold him accountable,” Harrison said, draping his left arm over Washington's shoulder. “He can do a lot of things that he doesn't usually show because the game is easy for him.
“So we’re definitely going to push him to get the most out of him.”
It was a moment the public had not seen in Harrison's three seasons. He was gently but unmistakably challenging the players.
Eighteen nights later, Harrison's words resonated as Washington delivered his best performance as a Maverick, scoring 23 points and grabbing six rebounds in Wednesday's win at Toronto.
Washington's 14-of-24 shooting and two-way excellence in the past two games caps his 1-2 win, which concludes with a 46-12 loss to the Celtics on national television on Friday night. It was the most notable development in a road trip of defeat.
It's not the first flash of promise the 6-foot-7 Washington has shown in his five NBA seasons, but it was his luckiest as a Maverick and the kind of turnaround that fans fantasized about. .
Defensively, Washington has been great in all seven games as a Maverick, shooting 40 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range until Wednesday. What if he could shoot a little more consistently like he did Wednesday when he made 5-of-10 3-pointers?
Three nights after saying it wasn't important for the Mavericks to identify a consistent third scorer behind Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, coach Jason Kidd announced Washington's big number one in Toronto. Afterwards, he made more positive statements.
“We want to be consistent all the way to third place,” he said. “Yes, it makes coaching and being teammates a little easier when you know who’s going to be there all the time.
“And I think PJ is starting to trend that way as well.”
As Kidd and the coaching staff rush to integrate Washington and Gafford, the Mavericks' brain trust remains cautiously optimistic that Dante Exum will return to the rotation as of Wednesday night. Dallas is in seventh place in the West with 23 games remaining.
The acquisition of two 25-year-old players in Washington and Gafford is a long-term move, as Dallas gave up two first-round picks, severely limiting its ability to improve its roster over the next two years It also had the meaning of winning. Even if only slightly.
And no, Washington hasn't forgotten that press conference moment that essentially said Harrison was an underachiever while playing for a mediocre Charlotte franchise.
forget? Washington needed it and wanted to hear it at the time, so he smiled and nodded.
“I've known Nico for a long time, so I was very happy,” he said. “Obviously, I'm happy to be here. And obviously he's happy to have me here. It feels great just to have a guy like that in my corner.”
Washington said he met then-Nike executive Harrison while playing three summers on Penny Hardaway's AAU team in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit.
Harrison also has a close relationship with Kenny Payne, one of Washington's assistant coaches at the University of Kentucky. That's right, there's a lot of personal kinship, along with the fact that Washington lived in the Dallas area from his sophomore year to his 10th grade.
“I'm excited to come here and be able to use my versatility and help the team in as many ways as I can,” said Washington, who has a wingspan of 7-foot-2 1/2.
The return of Washington, Gafford, and Maxi Kleber from injury resulted in notable changes to the Mavericks' defense. The Mavericks are 21st in the NBA in defensive efficiency this season, allowing 116.6 points per 100 possessions, but rank ninth in their last seven games at 110.7.
Kidd encouraged Washington to be aggressive offensively despite its shooting struggles.
Tim Hardaway Jr. will continue to be relied upon as Dallas' most potent bench scoring threat, but Kidd has Washington's skill set and is expected to start alongside Doncic and Irving, averaging 31 minutes of court time. Given that fact, he said it was logical for him to emerge as the most likely player. 3rd scorer.
Against Toronto, Washington sank two 3-pointers in the first 1:50 of the game and scored 13 of Dallas' first 25 points.
“He let go of the three and was getting aggressive,” Kidd said. “And he played at a high level and did what he's been doing since he's been here defensively. So if you can count on that. [scoring]It just puts us in a different category because we have three consistent scorers. ”
Kidd said it's not just the scores that are important. The Mavericks believe Washington has the playmaking ability to match his size, as evidenced by his career average of 2.3 assists. It's very early days, but he's averaging 1.4 assists per game as a Maverick.
Perhaps it's an example of Harrison's comments that the game can come too easily to Washington. Against Indiana on Sunday, Harrison committed three turnovers, including when he lost the ball in the backcourt while trying to dribble behind him.
“We want him to be able to put the ball on the floor and be able to attack,” Kidd said. “If we want to win championships, we can't just rely on Kai and Luka to be playmakers. PJ can also make plays off the dribble.
“We're going to need a little more of that from him. And I think he's up to that challenge.”
For now, Harrison doesn't seem to have to worry about holding Washington accountable. During practices and shootarounds, Washington was one of the last players off the court and primarily worked on perimeter shots.
It paid off in Toronto. If that combination with Washington's solid defense starts to pay off more reliably, Dallas will get a much-needed reliable No. 3 scorer.
present and future.
