Hornets’ PJ Washington has been bad this preseason. He knows it, so does his coach
Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego couldn’t be more frank in his preseason assessment of P.J. Washington:
“P.J. has got to be better,” Borrego said Monday of his starting power forward. “Nobody believes in him more than I do. He’s someone that I trust, I value. And he’s got to play better. He’s got to be in better shape. We need him to peak out this season.
“He’s just not there right now.”
In four preseason games, Washington averaged 7.8 points and shot 30% from the field. He’s also averaged 4.8 rebounds. 3.3 assists and three turnovers. He finished the preseason eighth among Hornets in scoring.
Washington was a revelation last preseason, playing so well as a rookie that Borrego started Washington in his first NBA game. Washington acknowledged he hasn’t performed this preseason.
“I haven’t made shots and there are a couple of things I need to work on on defense,” Washington said during a media conference call.
What did Washington make of Borrego’s critique?
“He believes in me, my team believes in me and my team needs me. I have got to step up. As simple as that,” said Washington, the 12th overall draft pick in 2019 out of Kentucky and second-team all-rookie. “I feel like for this team to get out to play a certain level, (he needs to be better) and I’m ready to do that.”
Borrego has Washington playing part-time at center this preseason. That small-ball lineup allows Miles Bridges more minutes at power forward. Washington said playing two positions isn’t an excuse for how he’s performed, with the season opener Wednesday in Cleveland.
“No, not at all. I played a little bit of (center) last year. I’m in more actions, more pick-and-rolls,” said the 6-foot-7 Washington. “I’m guarding a lot of bigger guys, but still we do a good job of helping each other on defense, so I’m not worried about it at all.”
The Hornets were not part of the NBA restart last season, so Wednesday against the Cavaliers is their first regular-season game in nine months. Borrego isn’t accepting that, or the truncated preseason, as an excuse.
“You can blame it on the short camp, you can blame it on our style of play. But it is what it is: He’s got to play better, bottom line,” Borrego said. “He’s capable, he knows that. He’s got pride about that. And we need him to (improve).
“If he’s not, we won’t be as good as we possibly can be. If he is, we’ve got a shot to be a really good team.”
Hayward practices
Small forward Gordon Hayward fully practiced Monday, but his status for the season-opener, with a fracture at the base of his right pinkie finger, is still uncertain.
“Full practice,” Borrego said. “He looked great — he’s in great shape. I don’t know if he’ll play on Wednesday or not, but he looked good and he’s in good spirits. We’re trending in the right direction.”
Borrego said he didn’t notice Hayward favoring his finger, but the better indicator will be how Hayward feels Tuesday after that practice.
Ball assessment
Borrego was asked to assess rookie LaMelo Ball’s progress through the four preseason games.
“He hasn’t been perfect, but that’s not what I’m asking for. I’m asking for growth,” Borrego said.
Ball, the No. 3 overall pick, averaged 8.5 points, 5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.5 turnovers. He shot 26.2% from the field.
“In general, he’s played very well — he’s understanding his teammates at a higher level and they’re understanding him,” Borrego said of 6-7 point guard Ball. “Shot selection is something I’m talking to him about. He’s got to understand that. And time-and-score, he’s got to understand that at a higher level.”
Two-minute drill
Borrego aspires for the Hornets to play faster this season (after averaging an NBA-last 99.8 possessions last season) and be more diverse with playmakers on offense.
“We’re trying to play like a two-minute offense in football,” Borrego said. “When you think of a two-minute drill, there is constant pressure on the defense (where) most times they can’t sub. Pressure on that defense consistently. We should (be equivalent to) being at that line of scrimmage every single possession.”
In the four preseason games, the Hornets raised their pace to 108.1 possessions per 48 minutes — eighth in the NBA.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 2:57 PM.
