P.J. Washington On Dallas Mavericks Drafting Cooper Flagg: ‘I Can't Wait To Play With Him'

Forbes

01-07-2025

P.J. Washington has high hopes for the Dallas Mavericks after drafting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 ... More overall pick. (Photo by)
The Dallas Mavericks' P.J. Washington is one of the unsung heroes of the team.
The 6-foot-6 forward has established himself as one of the pillars of the Mavericks, a roster that features a loaded veteran core in Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson. They just beefed up even more with the addition of No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who is expected to be the NBA's next great player.
Not bad for a squad that has quickly reloaded after a disappointing 2024-25 season that followed an NBA Finals run and the surprise trade of Luka Doncic.
'I can't wait,' says Washington in a one-on-one interview of playing with Flagg. 'I can't wait for him to get here. Can't wait to see how incorporates himself into our team and our organization and I just can't wait to be able to go out there and play with him.'
The addition of Flagg is giving observers hope that the Mavericks can bounce back from a disappointing season and get right back into the thick of playoff contention. Dallas missed the playoffs after losing their play-in game as the 10th seed. Their season was decimated by injuries, with Irving suffering a season-ending injury, Davis suffering an injury in his first game in a Mavs uniform and key role players such as Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and Washington himself all being limited due to ailments.
'Kind of team based for me – I'm a winner,' says Washingon when asked what his goal is for the 2025-26 season. "So for me, it's all about winning. I want to obviously get back to the playoffs and just have a great run. My main team goal is just to have a top five defense and a top five offense.
'I feel like if we do that, then our goal is going to be a lot easier,' Washington continues to say. 'Just for us, being together and just trying to hang out as much as possible off the court and build those relationships moving forward.'
The 26-year-old Washington is coming off of arguably his best year, averaging 14.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. His three-point shooting game continues to get better, posting his second-highest efficiency rate (38.1%) this past season.
Washington had the fourth-most three-pointers of any Mavs player last season and the highest total of their bigs.
Considering the NBA is all about three-pointers these days, it's a pivotal trait to have if you're going to have a long career in the league.
'You always have to work on your three-pointer,' says Washington. 'That's where the league is heading into now. Just being able to score on all three levels, being able to shoot the three, shoot the mid range and score at the rim is very effective in this league today. The more I can do that, the more successful we'll be also.'
After completing his first season with the Mavericks, Washington says he's found his 'niche' with the team and he tries to be the 'best' version of himself every night.
'I feel like I've found my role, I'm a lot more settled now and I know my niche,' says Washington. 'I just try to be the best version of myself each and every night, and I feel like I'm a versatile player that brings a lot to the game. So just understanding who I am and just trying to go out there and be that every single night.'
Washington stresses wanting to be a 'better' playmaker as an area he wants to improve upon heading into next season. The 6-foot-6 forward's career high in assists is 2.5 per game, set during the 2020-21 season.
'I want to be better controlling the ball and being able to make plays in starting the offense for the team,' says Washington. 'Being able to bring the ball up, running plays and being a better playmaker. Obviously, we have a lot of guys on the team that can do that. Just me being better at that, it's going to take us to where we want to be.'
Washington is no stranger to playing under high expectation, having played two seasons under legendary head coach John Calipari with the Kentucky Wildcats. The former first-round draft pick and five-star recruit says the biggest thing he learned under Coach Cal is 'consistency.'
'The biggest thing is just doing it every single night, just consistency,' Washington says of the biggest thing he learned under Calipari. 'With Coach Calipari, you harp on it's cool if you can do it once -- everybody can do it one time -- but the better players and the better coaches are the people who can do it consistently. Just having that consistent work ethic and just trying to be consistent each and every minute, it's just a testament to them and their careers as well.'
As the Mavericks look to bounce back from last season, Washington – whose lone playoff appearance was Dallas' Finals run – says the biggest he learned from that deep run in 2024 is how 'hard' it is to get there.
"The biggest thing I learned is just how hard it is to get there," says Washington. 'Nothing's guaranteed and what it takes to be in that position, and what it takes to obviously work. It's definitely changed my summers, I work a lot harder now, I'm a lot more focused, and I know what it takes to get here. It just made my work ethic a little more.'
As Washington decompresses during the offseason, one of his favorite spots to hit up is WorldSprings Dallas. As a basketball player who spends basically eight-to-nine consecutive months in the gym, the 6-foot-6 forward stresses recovery as a key trait to maximizing his performance.
'They have a bunch of recovery pools that you can soak in,' says Washington of WorldSprings. 'I think it's over 40 of them. They have hot springs, they have cold plunges, they have saunas, they have full service spas. I thought it was a great time. Me and my wife really enjoyed it. They've been helping me recover in a great way. I just love the place.'
Washington dealt with an ankle injury that bothered him for several weeks towards the end of the 2024-25 season and was limited to 57 games this past season. He says using WorldSprings' amenities are 'beneficial' in order for him to keep his body in tip-top shape.
'They're very beneficial,' says Washington. 'They help me get back to where I want to be each and every day. They help my legs recover. They help my arms. I just feel so much better sitting in them and just relaxing and being able to get back to my regular stuff each and every day is very important, and it helps me get better a lot faster than usual.'
The veteran forward says he started using the wellness center recently and it's pivotal for his recovery from a long season.
'As basketball players, it's really good to use stuff like this,' says Washington. 'I think it improves a bunch of different areas, and it just gives me an advantage to do a lot of different things. Recovery wise, a lot of people don't have access to it, so just being able to have that right down the street is really a great day for me.'