PJ Washington always wanted to play for the Dallas Mavericks. He played in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in high school, and after Saturday's Game 3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, he said, “I've been waiting to come here my whole career.”
He finally got that opportunity at the February trade deadline when the Mavericks traded him for Grant Williams and draft capital. This move helped turn around the Mavericks' defense. This gave Washington his first experience in the NBA playoffs.
It took me a while to get used to Washington. In the first seven games of the playoffs (six games against the Clippers, first game against the Thunder), he recorded 65 points and 38 rebounds (9.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG), shooting 43.5% from the field and making 3-pointers. A rate of 34.3% was recorded. In the two games that Dallas won, he was the Mavericks' leading scorer in both games, posting 56 points and 17 rebounds, making 12 of 23 3-pointers.
Read more: Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks lead OKC Thunder 2-1 in series
“[I’m] Just trying to attack mismatches, take open shots and be aggressive on both ends of the game.
“I thought my teammates did a great job of finding me,” Washington said after Game 3. I'll try converting for them. They believe in me when I'm cornered, so I just take my time and beat it. It's an open shot. I just accept it with confidence. I've been working on them. That's all I do honestly. ”
His confidence and lack of hesitation in shooting has been critical to wins over the Thunder so far this series.
“He's just comfortable,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd explained to the media after Saturday's game. “You can see it in the last two games, we know he's been comfortable since March. He's excited because he's at home and he's in the playoffs. But it was great and we're going to need him to continue that and get even better on both ends if we want to try anything in this series. ”
With Luka Doncic dealing with just about every injury imaginable and Kyrie Irving being chased by OKC's Jaylen Williams, the Mavericks needed someone to step up, and Washington filled that role admirably. Filled.
“The confidence we have in P.J. [Washington] “He can be on both ends of the floor, not only the three-the-shot, but he can also play in the post, run the offense and organize the team,” Coach Kidd said. He can make the right plays on the floor. We believe that even if he's not scoring, he'll find open players.”
“Once we got him into the post and gave him some chances at the 3-point line, he's been doing well with the reps he's been getting, the attempts he's gotten and the numbers he's been getting.”
It takes a lot of pressure off me and Luca. [Doncic] “Anytime our guys can step up like that, especially in a playoff environment, it works out for us,” Kyrie Irving said after the game. When our entire team plays well and other players step up, the games are beautiful to watch as well as participate in as competitors. ”
OKC has been happy with him making jump shots so far. They've been trying to take the ball out of Irving and Doncic's hands, and Washington has made them pay for it. It is not yet clear or announced whether they will switch away from that strategy in the future.
Game 4 will be played Monday at 8:30 pm CST at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Read more: Dallas Mavericks beat OKC Thunder in Game 3: 3 game-changing plays
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