General manager Nico Harrison of the Dallas Mavericks wants each player to improve by ten to fifteen percent during the offseason after the team fell in five games in the NBA Finals. P.J. Washington, who the Charlotte Hornets acquired at the trade deadline, will benefit from his floor-spacing.
at 29 regular season games at Dallas, Washington shot just 31.4% from three; in the postseason, however, they shot 34.8%. That drops to 27.9% if you exclude his scorching run against Oklahoma City in the second round, when he made half of his three-pointers.
Washington wants to be better than that, and in order to get there, he intends to alter his shot this summer, according to Brian Dameris, the former Mavericks director of player development and presenter of the “Take Dat Wit You” podcast.
“I don’t think the organization thought they liked what his shot was coming in [to Dallas], so [he] will have a training camp to be established in the offensive game a little bit more,” Dameris stated. “His shot is being completely re-tooled so that his 3-point average can go up.” He will be given open looks, and I believe that additional experience inside this framework along with some time to really learn—rather than having to pick things up on the fly—would be quite beneficial.”
Washington’s shot form can appear asymmetrical because to his enormous wing span—he is rated at nearly 7’2″—and it probably presents a challenge for him to shoot consistently. Given his physique type and the unfavorable circumstances surrounding his upbringing in Charlotte, it’s a common occurrence for numerous players. He now has the opportunity to further his development with assistant coaches like Sean Sweeney, who has been crucial in helping Dereck Lively II improve as a free throw shooter.
At the trade deadline, the Mavericks acquired Washington in exchange for Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and some draft capital. Washington played a significant role in Dallas’ transformation into a premier defensive unit. Derrick Jones Jr. could guard the most of the teams’ best players, but Washington would typically take the second alternatives and played excellent defense against them. He is very versatile due to his length and quickness; the next stage is for him to improve as a 3-point shooter so that Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic have more room to play.
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