P.J. Washington’s small-ball center work gave the Mavericks a useful wrinkle last season, but that look may be close to disappearing.
Washington shot 32.5 percent from 3-point range last season, one of the worst marks of his career, though that dip was partly tied to not having another elite shot creator in the lineup like Kyrie Irving. Even so, some of Washington’s strongest shooting stretches came late in the year when Dallas used him as a small-ball five.
That setup also made sense on the defensive end. Washington can use his size, physicality and wingspan to hold up against most centers, and his defense at center can pop even more when he’s matched with shorter or thinner big men. It also helps him get cleaner looks from the perimeter when slower-footed bigs are forced to chase him outside.
The problem for Dallas is that the frontcourt is packed, and that leaves Washington’s center minutes in serious jeopardy. Most of his work next season is expected to come on the wing or at power forward, not at the five. There is a chance he gets some run there before Dereck Lively II returns from injury, or in a matchup Dusty May really wants to attack, but those chances look limited.
The center rotation gives Washington a long line to jump in front of. Daniel Gafford, new No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama and Moussa Cisse all appear to have a better shot at playing minutes at the five.
Aldama adds a different kind of option too, since he’s a true floor-spacing big man and likely the better shooter from deep. If May wants five-out offense, Aldama would seem like the cleaner choice.
There’s still a path for Washington to see some early-season minutes at center if Lively II remains out and Dallas needs another big alongside Aldama. But Gafford projects to soak up most of the center minutes, and May is also likely to give Johnson Jr. a real look there, especially with the Michigan connection they already share from last year.
Cisse is part of the picture too. Dallas didn’t pass on matching the New York Knicks’ offer sheet for him for nothing, and the team clearly sees him as an intriguing young piece worth evaluating.
That’s a lot of bodies for one position, and it makes Washington’s small-ball role look more like an occasional option than a regular feature. He might pop up there if injuries pile up or a specific matchup calls for it, but Mavericks fans probably shouldn’t expect to see much of the death lineup from last year.
So while Washington’s center minutes could still be a useful part of his game, Dallas may wind up leaving that card on the table. For now, the reality is pretty simple: with this frontcourt, Washington looks more like a three or four than a five.
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Last season offered the blueprint for why Dallas sees him as more than a simple floor stretcher. Aldama took a varied shot diet, got into the paint with real purpose, and showed enough feel as a playmaker to make defenses pay when they overreacted. The broader question now is how quickly that blend of size, touch and decision-making translates into the kind of lineup wrinkle the Mavericks can actually lean on. [Read more 🡒]