P.J. Washington's consistent energy and two-way impact anchors the Dallas Mavericks' early season, providing scoring, defense, and a much-needed reliable presence on the court.
DALLAS — Through two games, P.J. Washington has been the steady hand in a turbulent start for the Dallas Mavericks. While the team continues to search for rhythm, Washington’s energy, consistency, and two-way play have set an early standard.
The forward finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and a block in Friday’s 117-107 loss to the Washington Wizards. It was his second consecutive game with at least 15 points, following a strong showing in the opener against the San Antonio Spurs. Through two games, he has averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist, while logging heavy minutes and guarding multiple positions.
Head coach Jason Kidd said Washington’s workload has been significant, but his impact has been undeniable.
“I can’t play him 48 minutes — he’d die before Christmas,” Kidd said. “He’s doing everything for us: guarding, making plays, shooting threes. He’s playing at an extremely high level, but it’s not fair to ask him to do that every night. We’re a deep team, and someone has to pick up the baton.”
Washington’s reliability has anchored a Mavericks rotation still finding its balance. He’s provided efficient offense and physical defense, often guarding the opponent’s best frontcourt player while creating second-chance points and spacing the floor for Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg.
When Washington spoke after the opening-night loss to San Antonio, his message reflected the same perspective he’s carried into every game since — accountability and composure.
“Just being in early foul trouble kind of hurt us,” Washington said that night. “They got into a rhythm, and we couldn’t get our pace or flow on offense or defense. That obviously hurt us. The good thing is we’ve got a lot to learn from, a lot of film to watch, and it’s only Game 1. There’s a lot of basketball left.”
Washington’s words proved prophetic. Two nights later, he led Dallas in minutes and once again provided the same poise he preached. His balance between aggressiveness and discipline has stood out to teammates navigating the early-season bumps.
Anthony Davis said Washington’s defensive communication has been crucial as Dallas experiments with its bigger lineup combinations.
“Playing that big lineup, we’ve got to communicate better,” Davis said. “When we get stops, we can run, but defensively, that’s where our biggest problems are.”
Kidd credited Washington’s professionalism and consistency as an example for the rest of the roster.
“He’s been consistent from training camp to now,” Kidd said. “You look at the way he competes — that’s what we need from everybody.”
Washington’s focus remains on helping Dallas settle into its identity. He said after the loss to the Spurs that the group has plenty of room to grow but emphasized patience and effort as the foundation.
“Well, we weren’t good at anything, so there’s a lot of room to grow — a lot to work on,” Washington said. “We’ll be better. It’s one game.”
The Mavericks will continue their five-game homestand Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CST against the Toronto Raptors, again leaning on Washington’s steadiness as they search for their first win of the season.