Charlotte Hornets will be without P.J. Washington vs. 76ers. Here’s how they’ll adjust
Starting power forward P.J. Washington will be out for Wednesday’s Charlotte Hornets home game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Washington sprained his right foot in the second half of Monday’s road victory over the Miami Heat, and didn’t return to the game. While Washington is definitely out Wednesday, coach James Borrego said he’s day-to-day beyond that. Also, teammate Miles Bridges sounded encouraged about Washington’s prognosis after speaking with him Tuesday.
“It’s not too bad. We should have him back soon,” said forward Bridges, who figures to absorb the biggest load in Washington’s absence.
After Washington left the Heat game, Borrego primarily went with small lineups to fill in where Washington usually plays power forward and center. That sometimes meant using 6-foot-7 Bridges at center and 6-7 Caleb Martin at power forward.
Borrego said to expect to see more of that with Washington out.
“I feel we can absorb it. We’ve been playing small anyway, and we’ve got Caleb and Gordon (Hayward) out there” at small and power forward, Borrego said.
Sixers a hellish matchup
The Hornets, winners of three in a row, will likely play reserve center Bismack Biyombo on Wednesday. But that has less to do with Washington’s absence, and more to do with the matchup against the 76ers.
Sixers center Joel Embiid (28 points and 11 free-throw attempts per game this season) might be the toughest low-post cover in the NBA. As Borrego described, Embiid can get the opposing center in foul trouble in two minutes.
It was inevitable that Biyombo would play Wednesday, after sitting out the last two games and totaling 15 minutes in the prior two. Cody Zeller, back from a broken finger, returned to the starting lineup at center and is coming off a 19-point, 12-rebound performance against Miami.
The Sixers have been the Hornets’ toughest opponent in recent memory, having won the last 13 games against Charlotte. The Hornets last beat the Sixers in November of 2016.
The Sixers’ size — not only in 7-footer Embiid, but 6-11 guard-forward Ben Simmons — causes major matchup problems for a smaller NBA team like the Hornets. Washington’s positional versatility helps against that. Borrego will likely need to play deep into his roster Wednesday, and both Caleb and Cody Martin figure to play.
Rozier might return
The Hornets played without starting shooting guard Terry Rozier in Miami, due to a sprained right ankle. That gave rookie Lamelo Ball his first NBA start.
Rozier is listed as questionable to play against the Sixers. Borrego said Rozier got treatment Tuesday and did some on-court work at practice. Ball played well (14 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds) and the Hornets won in overtime largely on Malik Monk’s career-high 36-point performance.
The Hornets don’t have much experienced depth if Washington’s injury lingers. Rookie big man Nick Richards is with the Hornets, but has played only 12 minutes, none of those with a game in doubt.
Borrego said there are no immediate plans to recall second-season forward Jalen McDaniels from the G-League bubble. Borrego indicated they would see how Washington is doing Wednesday before contemplating other options.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 1:11 PM.
