P. J. Washington

Paul Jamaine Washington Jr. (born August 23, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. After being selected by the Hornets in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft with the 12th overall pick, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020.

P. J. Washington
Washington at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Game
No. 25 – Charlotte Hornets
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1998-08-23) August 23, 1998
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeKentucky (2017–2019)
NBA draft2019: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentCharlotte Hornets
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Americas U18 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016 Chile National team
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Bronze medal – third place2017 Egypt

Early life

Washington attended Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas before transferring to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada.

Recruiting

Washington was rated as a five-star recruit and No.12 overall recruit and No.3 power forward in the 2017 high school class by Scout.com, Rivals.com and ESPN.[1][2][3] On November 10, 2016, he committed to the Kentucky Wildcats, on November 20 he signed his letter of intent.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
P. J. Washington
PF		 Frisco, Texas Findlay Prep (NV) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Nov 10, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #13   Rivals: #11  247Sports: #13  ESPN: #11
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  • "2017 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  • "2017 Kentucky 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.

College career

Throughout most of his freshman season at Kentucky, Washington played through a pinkie injury that required surgery in the summer. In the NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas State, Washington led Kentucky with 18 points and 15 rebounds.[4] Washington averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a freshman. After the season, he declared for the NBA draft, but announced his return on May 30, 2018.[5]

Following Kentucky's loss to Auburn in the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament, Washington announced his intention to forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA draft, where he was projected to be a first-round selection.[6]

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2019–present)

Washington was selected as the 12th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2019 NBA draft.[7] On July 3, 2019, Washington officially signed with the Hornets.[8] On October 23, 2019, Washington made his debut in NBA, started in a 126–125 win over the Chicago Bulls with 27 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. He also made 7 three-pointers, the most in an NBA debut in NBA history.[9] On October 31, 2019, Washington scored 23 points and 8 rebounds in a 118–111 win over the Sacramento Kings.[10] On November 29, 2019, Washington put up 26 points and 5 rebounds in a 110–107 victory against the Detroit Pistons.[11] On September 15, 2020, Washington was named 2019–20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team by the NBA.[12]

On February 28, 2021, Washington scored a then career-high 42 points to help the Charlotte Hornets win over the Sacramento Kings.[13]

On March 28, 2023, Washington scored a career-high 43 points in a 137–134 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[14]

On August 29, 2023, Washington re-signed with the Hornets on a 3-year, 48 million dollar contract.[15][16]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Charlotte 585730.3.455.374.6475.42.1.9.812.2
2020–21 Charlotte 646130.5.440.386.7456.52.51.11.212.9
2021–22 Charlotte 652827.2.470.365.7165.22.3.9.910.3
2022–23 Charlotte 737332.6.444.348.7304.92.4.91.115.7
Career 26021930.2.450.366.7115.52.3.91.012.9

Play-in
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Charlotte 1130.5.300.400–7.01.0.02.08.0
2022 Charlotte 1138.2.700.600–6.02.01.02.017.0
Career 2234.3.500.500–6.51.5.52.012.5

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Kentucky 373027.4.519.238.6065.71.5.8.810.8
2018–19 Kentucky 353329.3.522.423.6637.51.8.81.215.2
Career 726328.3.521.384.6326.61.7.81.012.9

References
  1. "P.J. Washington, Findlay Prep, Power Forward". 247sports.com.
  2. "P.J. Washington - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles". ESPN.
  3. "PJ Washington, 2017 Power forward – Rivals.com". n.rivals.com. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  4. Hale, Jon (August 8, 2018). "Can Reid Travis and PJ Washington play together in the same UK lineup?". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  5. "PJ Washington will return as Kentucky's leading scorer; Wenyen Gabriel, Jarred Vanderbilt staying in draft". ESPN. Associated Press. May 30, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  6. "Kentucky's Washington declares for NBA draft". ESPN. April 9, 2019.
  7. Wash, Quinton (June 20, 2019). "Hornets Select PJ Washington With The 12th Pick In The 2019 NBA Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  8. "Hornets Sign First-Round Draft Pick PJ Washington". NBA.com. July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  9. "Hornets rookie Washington nets 27 in 126-125 win over Bulls". ESPN.com. October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  10. "Hornets rally from 14 down to beat winless Kings 118–111". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  11. "Hornets edge Pistons again, 110–107". ESPN.com. November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  12. "Ja Morant, Zion Williamsom headline 2019-20 Kia All-Rookie First Team Tyler Herro, Rui Hachimura voted to Second Team". NBA.com. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  13. "P.J. Washington scores career-high 42 points". NBA.com. February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  14. Perley, Sam (March 28, 2023). "Hornets Win Wild One In OKC Behind Washington's Career-High 43 PTS". NBA.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  15. "Hornets Re-Sign P.J. Washington Jr". NBA.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  16. Wojnarowski, Adrian (August 26, 2023). "P.J. Washington staying with Hornets on new 3-year, $48M deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
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