Mavericks are creating nightmare PJ Washington scenario

PJ Washington does a lot of things well; he brings defensive versatility, above-average 3-point shooting, solid athleticism, screen setting, and good rebounding. He's a very good NBA player. But the Dallas Mavericks might be pushing the envelope a bit by asking him to be a primary (or even secondary) ball-handler this season, which seems like a realistic proposition.

According to Kevin Gray Jr. of DLLS Mavs, Jason Kidd alluded to Washington sharing ball-handling duties with rookie Cooper Flagg to start the season if both Washington and Flagg begin the year in the starting lineup. Now, it should be clarified that this might be more speculation than a reveal of strategy from Kidd, but still — it wouldn't surprise too many folks if a notoriously experimental coach starts the season with a pretty big experiment.

Whether it would actually work is the big question. And I lean toward "no."

PJ Washington has a good handle for a power forward

Yes, it's true— for his size and position, Washington has a good handle. He can run a screen handoff at the top of the key, and he's reliable to toss in a good entry pass or keep the ball moving on the perimeter.

But "good with the ball in his hands" doesn't mean Washington should be initiating offense, even with the dearth of guard depth on the Mavs roster. The Hornets tried Washington as a ball-handler semi-often throughout his time in Charlotte, and while it sometimes paid dividends, it didn't take defenses long to figure out how to stop him.

Washington is a good straight-line driver, but doesn't have enough lateral quickness to get by defenders, and doesn't have quite enough vision to generate offense in half-court sets. He's probably a better passer than his 2.3 assists last season indicate, but not that much better to where he should be initiating offense. His facilitation and playmaking are nice bonuses when it's used sparingly, but things are bound to fall apart if the volume gets too high.

Again, PJ Washington is a highly valuable player for the Mavs thanks to a multi-faceted skillset that allows him to impact the game in numerous ways. But the Mavs potentially turning to him as a creator would not be the best way to maximize the skills he does have, and instead would be an attempt to force him into using skills he doesn't. Jason Kidd likes to get a little funky with his lineups and decisions, and I mostly trust him to get the most out of his players. Point forward PJ Washington might be a little too far for me.