Hornets rookie P.J. Washington likely to miss both games this weekend
The best indicator of rookie P.J. Washington’s value: How the Charlotte Hornets are hurting offensively in his absence.
Washington, a forward, started the first 28 games of his NBA career before breaking the pinkie finger on his right hand in a Dec. 13 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Washington had surgery Monday in New York City and there is no timetable for his return.
“We miss his versatility offensively,” coach James Borrego said. “He’s a guy who can post up against (defensive) switches and he can hit 3s. He can play inside-out.
“We got that back a little bit with Marvin (Williams’ return from a sore knee), but we miss his offensive rebounding.”
Strangely enough, Washington was injured during a stoppage of play after teammate Miles Bridges wasn’t able to inbound the ball before a violation was called.
“It was Miles’ fault — we got that five-second violation. He threw the ball really hard and it hit me right in the pinkie,” Washington recalled, laughing. “He just told me to catch the ball and I’m like...” with a quizzical grin.
Washington played through the pain in the second half in Chicago. The fracture was diagnosed the next day in Indianapolis.
“The whole rest of the game I tried to do everything left-handed,” Washington said. “If you look at the film, I was passing with my left (non-dominant) hand and everything.”
Washington, the 12th overall pick in the last draft out of Kentucky, is among NBA rookie leaders in almost every significant category. He averages 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Teammate Nic Batum views Washington’s post-up ability as the toughest thing to replace. Batum said the Hornets had no post-up scorer last season who drew enough defensive attention to create shooting space for others.
The Hornets list Washington as out for Saturday’s home game against the Utah Jazz. Assuming he would also not play Sunday in Boston, that would give Washington another week to recover before a home game Dec. 27 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bridges’ defense
Bridges’ minutes have shrunk the past two games despite Washington’s absence, limiting the Hornets’ forward options. Bridges played 21 minutes each against the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers, after playing at least 34 in each of the previous five games.
Borrego said a variety of factors play into that, including finding minutes for Cody Martin and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but he made it clear Bridges’ defense plays a role in trimmed playing time.
“I’ve just got to see more impact from him on the defensive end, and he understands that,” Borrego said.
In his second NBA season, Bridges has been asked frequently to guard the opposing team’s top scoring option, something that wasn’t asked of him as a rookie.
