Portland Trail Blazers Draft Prospect Breakdown: PJ Washington

Many NBA Mock Drafts for 2019 have the Portland Trail Blazers landing PJ Washington from Kentucky. Is he the right fit for Portland or should the team look elsewhere?

NBA Draft experts update their mock drafts over and over again throughout the NBA season as teams biggest needs change as the season progresses. However, in the case of the Portland Trail Blazers, the experts have projected the same player to head to Portland from the start of the season to now. That man is Kentucky forward PJ Washington.

There’s little doubt the Blazers need to add a power forward or small forward in the upcoming draft which would explain the Washington selection.

At 6’8 Washington has played both forward positions and even some center at Kentucky.

Washington is a player who can do a little bit of everything. He can post up, take the three, rebound on both ends of the floor and block shots. However, even being a sophomore at a school known for one and done’s Washington’s game is far from complete. Let’s take a look at some of his strengths and weaknesses and determine whether or not he’d be a good fit for the Blazers.

Strengths:

Rebounding: The Blazers currently rank second in the NBA in total rebounds despite the inconsistent play at the two forward positions. However, it can never hurt to add another elite rebounder. PJ Washington is one. Washington is averaging 8.1 rebounds this season at Kentucky which is no easy feat in a competitive SEC conference.

In the Wildcats win over Kansas on January 26th, Washington grabbed 13 rebounds which was a huge factor in determining the game. When the team needs the ball, Washington goes up and get’s it. No NBA team can have too many players like that.

Three-Point Shooting: In his second season at Kentucky Washington developed a three-point shot, and it’s been a huge reason why Kentucky is a much stronger team this year than they were in 2018. In today’s NBA having a three-point shooting, big-man is an advantage. The Blazers could certainly use another floor spacer with Jusuf Nurkic down low.

Washington shoots the three at a 36.8% mark which is over 13% higher than his freshman season. Though it is not an above average number, it surely is high for a big man that is improving each season. If the up ticking trend continued, Washington would be around a 45% three shooter come next season in the NBA.

Weaknesses:

Inconsistent Post Game: As strong as Washington is he sometimes struggles to score when given the ball in the paint. The big reason for this is his struggling post game is simply his inability to catch the ball at times. Washington throughout the 2018-19 season has dropped the ball when passed to him in the post which is something he has to work on.

When he does get hold of the ball, he is shooting at a 50.9% rate which is down exactly 10% from his freshman year. Washington needs to work on his post game as he will be drafted to be a big man.

Selfishness: When watching Kentucky this year Washington at times has been straight up selfish. He averages less than two assists per game (1.8), and it is not hard to see why.

He often will take a three with a man in his face rather than getting the ball to a guard or will try to force a shot even when being double teamed in the lane. Washington needs to work on his passing and be unafraid to kick the ball out rather than shoot a contested shot that is destined to fail.

Verdict:

Despite some glaring holes in his game, PJ Washington should be one of the Blazers top draft prospects for 2019. He is unlikely to go in the top 20 which means he should fall into the Blazers lap.
He has already developed a three-point shot which makes working on his post game even easier given his size.

Washington also has played at the school with more pressure than any which should help give him confidence when playing in big moments in the NBA.

He is an excellent fit to fulfill the Blazers current needs and will surely be on their radar come June.