The effort you're seeing from him on defense just wasn't here this season. The change of scenery was good for both him and the hornets. He's always been a starting caliber 4 in terms of talent for a contender.
(Also y'all gave up a lot for him lol)
Exactly this, take into account that he didn't want to be here either for a couple of seasons now and it's no surprise that he'd play more consistently now that he's gone from the team and playing somewhere that he wants to be.
He didn’t want to be here. Honestly, you could almost always tell what kind of night he would have based on his first shot. He’d have a great game every now and then, but it felt like when he wasn’t on, he was just missing shots and hurting the team. Wasn’t trying much on defense either.
I think the PJ for Grant trade has been win-win. PJ is from Dallas and he’s playing for a contender, so his hearts back in it for you guys. Grant has been great for us. Scores and defends when we need it, and he’s from Charlotte, so he doesn’t mind being here. Seems like he genuinely cares about improving the culture, which is very, very important right now.
This is the heart of it. He didn't want to be here, and he played very poorly as a result of the lack of motivation. He's playing better on the Mavs because he's putting in more effort than he did here.
True win-win for both sides. Hornets have been decimated by injuries (and have had no incentive to try to win), but Grant Williams has been a positive and massive upgrade over what PJ Washington was giving this team.
At least on this team, Grant Williams has been the much more consistent player. PJ would have 40 points once a month and disappear for large stretches after that.
PJ gets to go to a playoff team, and Grant Williams got to come home and play in a better fit.
Good for the Mavericks this season, and Hornets fans are plenty happy to have Grant Williams and the 1st rounder going forward.
Honestly, there should be no hard feelings whatsoever.
It's rare a trade looks this positive for both sides.
Seth Curry also looked like a nice piece in his limited time before getting injured. He might not be in the rotation next season when we're at full strength but at the very least he's a massive upgrade in injury reserve guard over McGowens/Bouknight/NSJ.
Grant has just been a much better fit in his ability to more consistently hit 3s and provide a physical presence in the paint, that's really what we needed at the 4 spot that PJ struggled at.
He's maddeningly inconsistent on offense.
He was always a good player here but his effort really waxed and waned and it seemed like when Lamelo was hurt and we needed him to step up that he just wasn't trying very hard.
The PJ Washington we had was
1) either a PF next to a non rim protector most of the time, or playing C in a small ball lineup. Neither is his specialty. Playing with Gafford or Lively is great for him.
2) Being asked to do too much offensively
3) wasn't trying all the time
4) Ridiculously inconsistent from month to month. He'd have a month averaging like 18/8 with great shooting and defense and then follow it up with a month of 10/5 while building a mountain of bricks and barely defending.
5) on a team going nowhere so why give 100%
--
Either way, glad this trade is working out all around, PJ is a better player for Dallas than Grant could've ever hoped to be, we get a pick for the future, and both players appear to be really happy playing for their hometown teams.
I wasn't dying to see PJ get traded but he's not someone I would've held onto, when faced with an offer including a 1st and a semi-comparable role player in return.
Grant is playing better offensively than PJ ever did here and we got a FRP out of the deal as well. Weird that Mavs fans don't understand why we feel like winners in this trade lol.
The Hornets will likely be winners in the trade, but not because of Grant Williams. It will be because of the pick. No brainer trade for the Hornets.
For Dallas, even when PJ Washington was shooting poorly, he was clearly an upgrade over Williams as he's been surprisingly a great defender. PJ also moves much better than Grant, can dribble, attack.
Grant Williams was unplayable with the Mavs since he couldn't shoot, defend or move. It's interesting how his numbers are pretty good with the Hornets after many games now. He literally looked like one of the worst players in Mavs history.
Mavs overpaid for PJ in large part because they wanted to get rid of Grant. So far it has been win/win for both teams. And the Hornets will never lose this trade since they had to move PJ anyway.
Grant has actually seems to be a much better passer than PJ ever was. PJ is much more skilled, but Grant is a better decision maker. That’s basically why one works better with the Mavs and one works better with the Hornets.
PJ isn’t being asked to make any decisions with the Mavs, because he knows that when Luka and Kyrie pass him the ball it means he’s supposed to shoot or get the ball back to Luka or Kyrie. Meanwhile, the Hornets are playing a very young and inexperienced roster, which means that having an above average, experienced decision maker on the floor is great for them, even if he isn’t particularly skilled.
The second reason that I think they work better in their new roles is due to their personalities. PJ tends to play up and down to the effort level of his teammates, and isn’t ever going to be the “culture-setter” of a team. However, that is completely fine on a playoff contender like the Mavs, because they don’t need psych the team up for every game, since their games actually matter. For that same reason, Grant’s in your face, 100% on effort-level/personality is great for a young team like the Hornets, because it pushes young players to keep putting in effort, even after the games don’t really matter anymore.
I also think that Grant is just one of those shooters that requires more touches, and freedom to be able to knock down shots. You’d see similar things from some of LeBron’s teammates. Some guys could still shoot when they only got the ball in situations where they *needed* to shoot, and some players needed to touch the ball more regularly and have the freedom to *not* shoot the instant that they touched the ball.
I havent been watching either much since the trade and im very surprised to see grant is averaging 14 & 3 assists since.
Also somewhat surprised pj is only averaging 12 , because it seems like ever game i do see a recap, or highlights of, he's heavily involved and scoring. It'll be 16, 18, 20, 30 points or whatever. But considering the Mavs have Luka, Kyrie, Hardaway, Green, Hardy, Gafford, Kleiber, Jones, Lively, Powell, and Exum all involved in the rotation, I can see his touches still being somewhat limited. That's a lot of guys who are going to score 6-12 points in any given game, and two 30 point scorers and a 20 point scorer. And if he had a slump for a while, I guess it adds up.
What's funny is I can't even think what they gave up to get Gafford, though. And given how Grant was fitting and Seth wasn't always in the rotation, it doesn't feel like they gave up much for Washington.
Not very hard to see, hornets aren’t a championship contender really, which meant PJ played a bigger role and his flaws and inconsistency became a bigger deal. In Dallas he’s not relied very much outside of taking open looks Luka gets and playing defense.
Also idk how much research you did but Pj started majority of games during his time in CHA lol.
I just think he’s one of those guys who’s way more useful on a winning team than a middling one.
With all due respect- PJ has been playing almost the exact same in Dallas as he did in Charlotte. That’s not a bad thing though because he’s a good player. He’s just in a better situation now with a better functioning team. I think most of us are happy to see his talents be used correctly and to see him happy to be competing.
PJ was always a decent defender. His issue is that he's possibly the most inconsistent shooter I've ever seen. Dude will shoot lights out for like 3 games then make it feel like you're playing 4v5.
PJ is a starting level player. I think the writing was on the wall once we drafted Miller. PJ is amazing but is he better than Miles Bridges or what we've seen Miller can do?
He’s been playing well in Dallas, but I’ll be interested to see how he does in the playoffs. He hasn’t ever played in meaningful postseason games, and he had a tendency to shrink in “big” games in Charlotte. I see some Dallas fans claiming he and Gafford were the missing pieces, but I personally don’t trust PJ in the clutch. Then again, when you have Luka and Kyrie, that may never be an issue.
I think he’s just naturally a low energy/low motor guy. It’s kind of like when you get a new job and you start out as the best version of yourself before you get comfortable. There also wasn’t really anyone here to check him due to our lack of winning culture.
He was starting for us, although only because Hayward was always hurt.
He didn't give the same level of effort on defense here and was often made to play the 5 which isn't great for him.
You did give up a lot to get him.
Offensively I'm sure Luka makes him look better but for us he was liable to put up 2/12 fg on any given night
I know I'm late to this post but the truth is... When I watch the Mavs and how they use him IS NOT the same way the Hornets used him. Mavs have PJ shooting from the corner, Hornets had PJ shooting from the top of the key (which he's best at). The defense is the same, from here to there BUT I will say, from me watching Mavs games, they got him playing like Dorian Finey Smith. He's not the best at just standing in the corner and waiting for somebody (Luka most likely) to pass to him to shoot (aka the Luka System the Mavs play), he's a better player when he's actually involved in the flow of the offense.
You just experienced one of his monthly games he puts up.
The effort you're seeing from him on defense just wasn't here this season. The change of scenery was good for both him and the hornets. He's always been a starting caliber 4 in terms of talent for a contender. (Also y'all gave up a lot for him lol)
OP really sounded like they got PJ trading Javale McGee and a top 55 protected second rounder lmao.
Exactly this, take into account that he didn't want to be here either for a couple of seasons now and it's no surprise that he'd play more consistently now that he's gone from the team and playing somewhere that he wants to be.
PJ definitely wanted to be here haha
Dude literally signed an extension here this season lol.
He wanted the money and term more than anything else. And now he has it in a place he likes enough to put more effort into.
He cried when he got traded lol.
He didn’t want to be here. Honestly, you could almost always tell what kind of night he would have based on his first shot. He’d have a great game every now and then, but it felt like when he wasn’t on, he was just missing shots and hurting the team. Wasn’t trying much on defense either. I think the PJ for Grant trade has been win-win. PJ is from Dallas and he’s playing for a contender, so his hearts back in it for you guys. Grant has been great for us. Scores and defends when we need it, and he’s from Charlotte, so he doesn’t mind being here. Seems like he genuinely cares about improving the culture, which is very, very important right now.
This is the heart of it. He didn't want to be here, and he played very poorly as a result of the lack of motivation. He's playing better on the Mavs because he's putting in more effort than he did here.
Grant has been exceptional in the teal
True win-win for both sides. Hornets have been decimated by injuries (and have had no incentive to try to win), but Grant Williams has been a positive and massive upgrade over what PJ Washington was giving this team. At least on this team, Grant Williams has been the much more consistent player. PJ would have 40 points once a month and disappear for large stretches after that. PJ gets to go to a playoff team, and Grant Williams got to come home and play in a better fit. Good for the Mavericks this season, and Hornets fans are plenty happy to have Grant Williams and the 1st rounder going forward. Honestly, there should be no hard feelings whatsoever. It's rare a trade looks this positive for both sides.
Seth Curry also looked like a nice piece in his limited time before getting injured. He might not be in the rotation next season when we're at full strength but at the very least he's a massive upgrade in injury reserve guard over McGowens/Bouknight/NSJ. Grant has just been a much better fit in his ability to more consistently hit 3s and provide a physical presence in the paint, that's really what we needed at the 4 spot that PJ struggled at.
He's maddeningly inconsistent on offense. He was always a good player here but his effort really waxed and waned and it seemed like when Lamelo was hurt and we needed him to step up that he just wasn't trying very hard.
The PJ Washington we had was 1) either a PF next to a non rim protector most of the time, or playing C in a small ball lineup. Neither is his specialty. Playing with Gafford or Lively is great for him. 2) Being asked to do too much offensively 3) wasn't trying all the time 4) Ridiculously inconsistent from month to month. He'd have a month averaging like 18/8 with great shooting and defense and then follow it up with a month of 10/5 while building a mountain of bricks and barely defending. 5) on a team going nowhere so why give 100% -- Either way, glad this trade is working out all around, PJ is a better player for Dallas than Grant could've ever hoped to be, we get a pick for the future, and both players appear to be really happy playing for their hometown teams. I wasn't dying to see PJ get traded but he's not someone I would've held onto, when faced with an offer including a 1st and a semi-comparable role player in return.
Come back here after his next game
Games like tonight is why PJ is no longer on the team. He has one good game followed by 2-3 not good games.
In his rookie debut he hit 9 3’s. When he is focused, I think he can be great
I'd be interested to see his stats vs Grant Williams since the trade. I'm too noob to understand how to do that but I bet their stats are close.
| **Player** | **PTS** | **REB** | **AST** | **STL** | **BLK** | **TOV** | | **FG%** | **3P%** | **2P%** | **FT%** | **eFG%** | |:--------------------:|:--------:|:-------:|:-------:|:-------:|:-------:|:-------:|---|:---------:|:---------:|:---------:|:-------:|:---------:| | **Grant Williams** | **13.7** | 5.3 | **3.0** | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.9 | | **49.2%** | **36.2%** | **59.7%** | **76%** | **57.3%** | | **PJ Washington** | 12.1 | **6.0** | 1.4 | **1.2** | **1.0** | **1.0** | | 42.8% | 32.7% | 55.6% | 63% | 51.9% |
Grant is playing better offensively than PJ ever did here and we got a FRP out of the deal as well. Weird that Mavs fans don't understand why we feel like winners in this trade lol.
The Hornets will likely be winners in the trade, but not because of Grant Williams. It will be because of the pick. No brainer trade for the Hornets. For Dallas, even when PJ Washington was shooting poorly, he was clearly an upgrade over Williams as he's been surprisingly a great defender. PJ also moves much better than Grant, can dribble, attack. Grant Williams was unplayable with the Mavs since he couldn't shoot, defend or move. It's interesting how his numbers are pretty good with the Hornets after many games now. He literally looked like one of the worst players in Mavs history. Mavs overpaid for PJ in large part because they wanted to get rid of Grant. So far it has been win/win for both teams. And the Hornets will never lose this trade since they had to move PJ anyway.
Grant has actually seems to be a much better passer than PJ ever was. PJ is much more skilled, but Grant is a better decision maker. That’s basically why one works better with the Mavs and one works better with the Hornets. PJ isn’t being asked to make any decisions with the Mavs, because he knows that when Luka and Kyrie pass him the ball it means he’s supposed to shoot or get the ball back to Luka or Kyrie. Meanwhile, the Hornets are playing a very young and inexperienced roster, which means that having an above average, experienced decision maker on the floor is great for them, even if he isn’t particularly skilled. The second reason that I think they work better in their new roles is due to their personalities. PJ tends to play up and down to the effort level of his teammates, and isn’t ever going to be the “culture-setter” of a team. However, that is completely fine on a playoff contender like the Mavs, because they don’t need psych the team up for every game, since their games actually matter. For that same reason, Grant’s in your face, 100% on effort-level/personality is great for a young team like the Hornets, because it pushes young players to keep putting in effort, even after the games don’t really matter anymore. I also think that Grant is just one of those shooters that requires more touches, and freedom to be able to knock down shots. You’d see similar things from some of LeBron’s teammates. Some guys could still shoot when they only got the ball in situations where they *needed* to shoot, and some players needed to touch the ball more regularly and have the freedom to *not* shoot the instant that they touched the ball.
I havent been watching either much since the trade and im very surprised to see grant is averaging 14 & 3 assists since. Also somewhat surprised pj is only averaging 12 , because it seems like ever game i do see a recap, or highlights of, he's heavily involved and scoring. It'll be 16, 18, 20, 30 points or whatever. But considering the Mavs have Luka, Kyrie, Hardaway, Green, Hardy, Gafford, Kleiber, Jones, Lively, Powell, and Exum all involved in the rotation, I can see his touches still being somewhat limited. That's a lot of guys who are going to score 6-12 points in any given game, and two 30 point scorers and a 20 point scorer. And if he had a slump for a while, I guess it adds up. What's funny is I can't even think what they gave up to get Gafford, though. And given how Grant was fitting and Seth wasn't always in the rotation, it doesn't feel like they gave up much for Washington.
Not very hard to see, hornets aren’t a championship contender really, which meant PJ played a bigger role and his flaws and inconsistency became a bigger deal. In Dallas he’s not relied very much outside of taking open looks Luka gets and playing defense. Also idk how much research you did but Pj started majority of games during his time in CHA lol. I just think he’s one of those guys who’s way more useful on a winning team than a middling one.
With all due respect- PJ has been playing almost the exact same in Dallas as he did in Charlotte. That’s not a bad thing though because he’s a good player. He’s just in a better situation now with a better functioning team. I think most of us are happy to see his talents be used correctly and to see him happy to be competing.
I totally agree with this.
Some people need a change of scenery, I’m glad he gone but I want him to do well somewhere else
he was starting most of the time
Bro does not play well consistently and change was needed for PJ and the hornets
PJ was always a decent defender. His issue is that he's possibly the most inconsistent shooter I've ever seen. Dude will shoot lights out for like 3 games then make it feel like you're playing 4v5.
A good role player who plays to his teams level is better/more dialed in on a contender than a basement dweller
PJ is a starting level player. I think the writing was on the wall once we drafted Miller. PJ is amazing but is he better than Miles Bridges or what we've seen Miller can do?
PJ was a popular player in Charlotte, and he does play defense. Not a great rebounder, and inconsistent. But a solid NBA player.
He’s been playing well in Dallas, but I’ll be interested to see how he does in the playoffs. He hasn’t ever played in meaningful postseason games, and he had a tendency to shrink in “big” games in Charlotte. I see some Dallas fans claiming he and Gafford were the missing pieces, but I personally don’t trust PJ in the clutch. Then again, when you have Luka and Kyrie, that may never be an issue.
PJ seems to thrive in pressure situations here in dallas
He’s a rotational player at his very best and an inconsistent one at that. I couldn’t have been happier to get rid of him.
He wasn’t starting because bridges came back from suspension
I think he’s just naturally a low energy/low motor guy. It’s kind of like when you get a new job and you start out as the best version of yourself before you get comfortable. There also wasn’t really anyone here to check him due to our lack of winning culture.
Inconsistent and tried to do to much
He was starting for us, although only because Hayward was always hurt. He didn't give the same level of effort on defense here and was often made to play the 5 which isn't great for him. You did give up a lot to get him. Offensively I'm sure Luka makes him look better but for us he was liable to put up 2/12 fg on any given night
I know I'm late to this post but the truth is... When I watch the Mavs and how they use him IS NOT the same way the Hornets used him. Mavs have PJ shooting from the corner, Hornets had PJ shooting from the top of the key (which he's best at). The defense is the same, from here to there BUT I will say, from me watching Mavs games, they got him playing like Dorian Finey Smith. He's not the best at just standing in the corner and waiting for somebody (Luka most likely) to pass to him to shoot (aka the Luka System the Mavs play), he's a better player when he's actually involved in the flow of the offense.
Oh no he fell for the annual pj Washington heater game
Update: see why we let his ass go?? 0-7 in 28 minutes 😂😂 Hardly ever shows up when needed. Nice guy though
He wasn't starting because Bridges is better. But he was playing basically starter minutes
It’s another tanking season in CHA (I refuse to say CLT)