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2019 NBA Mock Draft: March is here

By Brendon Kleen

SYRACUSE, NY - MARCH 04: De'Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates a teammate's three point basket during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on March 4, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Virginia defeats Syracuse 79-53. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - MARCH 04: De'Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates a teammate's three point basket during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on March 4, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Virginia defeats Syracuse 79-53. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – MARCH 09: PJ Washington #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats guards against Dontay Bassett #21 of the Florida Gators in the first half at Rupp Arena on March 09, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – MARCH 09: PJ Washington #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats guards against Dontay Bassett #21 of the Florida Gators in the first half at Rupp Arena on March 09, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Kentucky. P.J. Washington. 13. player. 86. . F

So much can change in a year. In the fall of 2017 during the non-conference schedule, The Stepien’s Sean Derenthal, now a basketball operations staff member with the 76ers, said this about Washington:

“Shooting is a concern for a player that projects to be perimeter-oriented. Shot has slightly awkward second half/release, and hasn’t shot well outside of the paint from any area.”

Indeed, Washington shot 23.8 percent from 3 as a freshman and 60.6 percent from the line. It wasn’t quite a glow up, but he improved considerably for this year’s excellent Kentucky squad on four times as many 3-point attempts. He won’t quite be a 41.9 percent 3-point shooter in the NBA but considering his free-throw percentage also shot up to 67.5 percent, Washington’s shooting is trustworthy.

More from Derenthal:

“Because feel/awareness/attention is bad he generates little value if he’s not on-ball. Steals and blocks are rare, but second or third efforts after a first rotation or chasing rebounds out of his area are rare as well.”

This year, Washington improved his block rate to 4.7 percent and played with better energy overall on defense. His rebounding jumped up as well. Washington won’t quite be the type of rim protector to play as a small center in the pros but you can trust him a little more at forward thanks to improved instincts protecting the rim from the weak side and hustling on the glass.

Washington is one of the top prospects to watch in the tournament. Pay close attention to how he reacts from the weak side and moves his feet defensively during opening-weekend matchups, particularly against the hot Wofford offense.

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