Jason Kidd's first benching of Mavericks' season is already painfully obvious

The Dallas Mavericks have plenty of new pieces for Jason Kidd to deal with ahead of the 2025-26 season, and his first benching of the year being P.J. Washington is already overwhelmingly clear.

Washington has been one of the team's primary starting forwards ever since he was traded to Dallas from Charlotte in 2024, but his stint as a starting wing for the Mavs looks like it could end as soon as opening night against the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks obviously haven't announced what their starting lineup will be next season, as they haven't even begun training camp yet, but it seems likely it'll look something like: D'Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II.

The big question heading into training camp will be who starts alongside Russell, Flagg, Davis, and Lively II (or Daniel Gafford) between Thompson and Washington, but Thompson clearly makes more sense from a balance perspective.

Why Jason Kidd benching P.J. Washington seems inevitable

Dallas' spacing will be suspect any time that they are using a double-big lineup with Davis and Lively II or Gafford, and excluding the best shooter on the team from that group would be a questionable decision from Kidd. Thompson's presence alone, even when the ball isn't in his hands, creates tons of spacing thanks to his gravity, and Washington may become a bench player during this iteration of the Mavs' roster.

This isn't to say that Washington isn't a good floor spacer, as he just shot 38.1 percent from three on 4.2 attempts per game, but he isn't a lock to be a knockdown shooter like Thompson is. Washington's looks are almost always an open look off the catch, and Dallas doesn't run actions for him to get open looks like they do for Thompson. The types of shooters that Washington and Thompson are are completely different, and Thompson's shooting should be unanimously favored over Washington's up-and-down shooting from the past two seasons in Dallas.

Washington will still have a major role, as they just signed him to a four-year contract extension, and he could even find himself as one of the top Sixth Man of the Year candidates by the time the year is over. Washington's defense, tenacity, energy, and leadership mean much more to the Mavericks than the stat sheet could ever show, and if he can put up similar numbers to what he did last year, they'll be in great shape.

In the 2024-25 season, Washington averaged 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc. His 6.1-percent rise in 3-point percentage from the 2023-24 season to the 2024-25 season made a major difference in his overall effectiveness, as he went from a sporadic shooter to someone who the Mavs can count on to drill timely threes when he's open.

This large improvement can be attributed to the hours of hard work he put into his jumper last season, and it wouldn't be a shock if his shooting is one of his main focuses once again. Dallas needs him to keep up the efficient shooting next season, especially since he'll be almost always sharing the floor with a big man who can't shoot well, and his 3-point percentage will undoubtedly be under a microscope as Dallas begins this new era.

Washington signing that massive contract extension in Dallas shows how much he truly likes being a Maverick, especially now that his spot in Kidd's starting five is up in the air, and he should thrive in whatever role he is assigned. Kidd will likely try the jumbo lineup that includes Washington, Davis, Flagg, and one of the centers at some point next season, but Mavs fans shouldn't be surprised if Washington is sent to the bench next season.