PJ Washington promised to “ big things » in Charlotte for the upcoming season. The interior of the Hornets gave a brief glimpse of it last night, in the victory – the first of this preseason – of his team against the Thunder (117-115).
The 12th choice of the 2019 Draft had no difficulty in getting rid of opponents a little less powerful than him (Davis Bertans, Ousmane Dieng, etc.) to get closer to the circle and multiply the finishes there. But in addition to his ease in the paint, the interior displayed his progress in the “catch-and-shoot” with five award-winning baskets.
Result of the accounts: 31 points scored, without the slightest free throw, with maximum shooting efficiency (13/18 including 5/8 from distance), 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 24 minutes. It was the best preseason offensive performance by a Charlotte player since Gerald Wallace (34) in 2007.
“ I was just trying to find the rhythm, be aggressive and take good shots. The credit goes to my teammates who found me in the right places. I tried to convert as many as possible “, sums up the 25-year-old who scored his career best (43 points) last season against the same team.
However, he regretted his team’s defensive errors, believing that he and his teammates needed to communicate more, particularly on the “backdoors”.
“ In the second quarter, we played well in attack but not well defended. In the third quarter, we were much better. […] PJ was clearly skilled from afar. The most important thing for me is his defense speech. He is an organizer and he knows very well what needs to happen on the pitch. In the third quarter, I think he was the one who made the defense power up », greets his coach, Steve Clifford.
While his team almost lost in the final moments, PJ Washington was well supported by the 35 cumulative points of the pair Terry Rozier (19) – LaMelo Ball, with 6 assists each (as many as Frank Ntilikina). Opposite, Jaylin Williams and Tre Mann both scored 18 points for the Thunder, deprived of a bunch of executives (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren, etc.).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
