P.J. Washington’s versatility is easy to draw and harder to schedule. He has opened 137 of his 142 regular-season appearances for Dallas since arriving in February 2024, yet his recent ledger also includes 51 missed games.
For the Mavericks, the question is not whether he fits several lineup shapes. It is whether he can be present often enough, and shoot consistently enough, for those shapes to matter.
Thursday’s fifth training-camp practice gave Dallas a reason to examine that relationship. Washington spent time on pull-up shooting, working with an upright motion built for repetition. It was a deliberately unglamorous exercise. A player being considered at center, small forward and point forward needs a jumper that survives changing duties, not one that looks convincing only from a favorite spot on the floor.
Coach Dusty May has described Washington as a possible small-ball center, a bigger lineup’s small forward or a forward who helps initiate offense when a matchup calls for it. Each choice changes the geometry of the possession. At center, Washington can pull a larger defender outward and give Dallas more room to attack the lane.
At small forward, he can add size without making the offense entirely dependent on a traditional post player. As a point forward, his passing can help move the ball through the next decision rather than forcing every possession through a primary ballhandler.
Those are more than position labels, but they are still plans rather than accomplishments. Thursday’s shooting work addressed the mechanical part of the problem. It did not establish that Washington’s perimeter touch has returned to its earlier level, nor did it show how the shot holds up when a defender closes space or when Washington has to move between screening, rebounding and handling responsibilities.
The recent numbers explain the caution. Washington converted 32.5% of his three-point attempts last season, compared with 38.1% in 2024-25. That 5.6-point drop can alter the entire map around him.
A defense that respects the higher figure has to chase him farther from the paint; a defense expecting the lower one can stay nearer to the lane and make the small lineup less spacious than its brochure suggests.
There is a second, less glamorous variable: availability. Washington appeared in 56 games last season. Thursday’s work offered no health resolution, and May has not announced a starting five.
Dallas has tried different groups while accounting for injuries and back-to-back scheduling. Washington is positioned to contribute whether he starts or comes off the bench, but the open competition should not be mistaken for a verdict about his standing. It is simply the practical business of building a rotation before the games count.
