P.J. Washington continues to shine in one crucial area despite shooting struggles

The Dallas Mavericks wrapped up their first game of a back-to-back on Monday evening against the Utah Jazz, as a spirited defensive effort and various contributions off the bench led to the Mavericks winning by a score of 110-102.

This game against the Jazz seemed like an anomaly for a variety of reasons, mainly because of the fact that Dallas was able to overcome an abysmal shooting performance from superstar Luka Doncic.

As aforementioned though, contributions off the bench such as Spencer Dinwiddie’s three 3-pointers in the third quarter and Dallas’ pesky point-of-attack defense throughout the contest helped carry Dallas to a victory despite shortcomings from Luka Doncic.

Veteran stars Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson were instrumental in carrying Dallas’ offense throughout large junctures in this game, though they weren’t the ones responsible for doing the dirty work against some of Utah’s huge wings on the other end.

P.J. Washington's defense was Mavs’ saving grace against Jazz

That responsibility was given to P.J. Washington for the most part, as Washington has always had the physical profile of someone who can nearly guard one through five, but really didn’t hone in on that aspect of his game until being traded to Dallas last season.

Washington’s defense in Charlotte was typically labeled as "solid" or "slightly above average," but he’s continuing to prove that he is an elite point-of-attack defender for Dallas as well as an excellent off-ball and transition defender.

This game against the Jazz showcased that to a premium, as Washington anchored down on the likes of Lauri Markkanen and John Collins throughout long stretches in this game, both of whom shot a combined 9-28 on field goals in this contest.

There were multiple instances in this game where Washington’s length and athleticism interrupted shot attempts and entry passes that otherwise wouldn’t have been deflected against a worse defender. Washington’s weak-side help defense was especially impressive, as he does a great job at probing near his man before committing to leave toward an opposing ball handler in late shot-clock scenarios.

Overall, Washington finished with four steals and two blocks in this game as well as 11 total rebounds. 10 of those rebounds were on the defensive glass though, and they were particularly crucial when taking into consideration how much success Utah was seeing in the offensive rebounding department in the first half. 

This game was a complete jack-of-all-trades game for Washington, as he also had some nice finishes and transition slams to get him up to 12 points in this contest as well, even if he did continue to struggle from 3-point range this season by going 0-4 in the game.

Washington's struggles from downtown have been one of the main talking points of the season from fans when breaking down his game as he is shooting 18.8 percent from three, but his defensive excellence has made him vital in Dallas' wins.

It already seems as if some of the defensive concerns that many in the national media have for this Mavericks team are far less relevant than many thought, but Washington will need to have games like this once or twice a week for that to remain the case.

If Washington can continue to play at this level, he’ll make a case to be on an All-Defensive team once the season comes to a close, which is absurd to think considering what his defensive track record in Charlotte looked like.

Washington and the Mavericks can’t dwell on this performance too long though, as they are matched up on the road against a solid Minnesota Timberwolves squad at 6:30 p.m. CDT tonight.