The NBA playoffs are a stage for superstars to shine their talents and make a name for themselves, and it is also the role player Salted Fish to turn around and make a name for himself. In this year's playoffs, superstars such as SGA, Huazi, Irving, Doncic, Brunson, Mitchell, and Jokic shined and won numerous praises; Role players such as White, DiVincenzo, PJ Washington, Hart, and Porter Jr. have also played a lot of masterpieces and made a great impression. Among these players, PJ Washington is a rookie in the playoffs, but he frequently creates surprises, as the saying goes: God rewards hard work, and gold will always shine.
Back in time to the eve of the mid-season trade day, the Mavericks and the Hornets completed a 3-for-3 trade, sending Gwee + Curry Jr. + 2027 first-round picks (the first 2 picks are protected) and getting PJ Washington + 2 second-round picks. The Hornets are a veritable rotten team in the East, so bad that people can't tell whether they don't know how to rebuild or are obsessed with playing rotten over the years, so much so that young people like PJ Washington, who have top 3-D talent, are starting to live in fear! The Mavericks have high hopes for PJ Washington, and PJ Washington is looking forward to getting back on his hometown team. At least as things stand, the Mavericks and PJ Washington met late!
In this year's playoffs, the Mavericks can be called the biggest dark horse in the West. Without first-round home-court advantage, they eliminated the Clippers 4-2 and led the Western Conference semifinals 2-1 over the Western Conference Giants Thunder! In the process, PJ Washington went from a playoff rookie to a team thigh. In the nine games of the series, PJ Washington averaged 14.6 points + 6.1 rebounds + 1.3 assists + 1.3 steals + 2.7 three-pointers per game, shooting 41.4% from three-point range. Among them, in the finale of the first round, PJ Washington scored 14 points + 5 rebounds + 4 three-pointers; In the Western Conference semifinals G2, PJ Washington blasted 29 points + 11 rebounds + 4 assists + 7 three-pointers to help the team equalize the series; In the Western Conference semifinals G2, PJ Washington scored 27 points + 6 rebounds + 2 assists + 5 three-pointers. Looking at PJ Washington's performance in the playoffs, he is like a fish in water in the Mavericks' offensive and defensive system, and he is getting better and better, and he has lived up to his mission!
First of all, PJ Washington is tall and has long arms, excellent running and jumping ability, and can be trusted defensively. It's no secret that the Mavericks' success over the past few years has been built on offense, and with the introduction of PJ Washington and Gafford as they began, the defensive DNA became the team's new label! Compared with PJ's predecessor Gwee, PJ Washington is tall and has long arms, excellent lateral speed, and solid defensive fundamentals, he can lead the opponent's forward arrows, and can also rely on speed to complete the auxiliary defense, and his presence greatly enhances the height and hardness of the Mavericks' front line. This is the point where the first-round opponent George has the most say, and PJ Washington not only allowed George to play the most efficient round series of his career, but also left the famous scene of holding his arms with his own hands.
Secondly, PJ Washington does not possess the ball and has a strong ability to grasp the open space. During the Hornets period, PJ Washington had a good ball-handling offensive ability; When it comes to the Mavericks, the team has Doncic, the ball-handling core, and Mr. Irving, and PJ Washington's role on the offensive end becomes simple, he just needs to run out of the open and shoot those damn balls in! Especially in the Western Conference semifinals G2 and G3, the Thunder let PJ Washington go like the Mavericks put Keady, and PJ Washington scored 12 three-pointers in two games, becoming the most effective fire support point around the Eastern European group, allowing the opponent to pay a painful price for emptying themselves!
PJ Washington's offensive and defensive performances have been well received! As an opponent, SGA hit the nail on the head: if we want to win this series, we must limit PJ Washington; As a teammate, Irving has a lot of affection for PJ Washington, saying: "We are thankful for PJ Washington, when we play as a team, we are invincible; As a mentor, Kidd also praised PJ Washington, he bluntly said: We should have brought him in a long time ago, he made us more confident and calm on both offensive and defensive ends, if the team wants to make a difference, PJ Washington needs to continue to output this offensive and defensive output! That's right, because of the addition of PJ Washington, the Mavericks have become a more balanced team with a more balanced offense and defense, and they are not afraid of any strong opponents! Looking forward to PJ Washington's continued efforts, the Eastern European combination needs you to win the championship! Fans, what do you think about this? Leave me a comment to discuss.