P.J. Washington's biggest wish is exactly what the Mavericks need from him

P.J. Washington is fully focused on helping the Dallas Mavericks get back to the NBA Playoffs in his eighth season. The 2026-27 season will be the first year of his four-year contract extension that he signed with the Mavericks last offseason, and he is ready for Dallas to be a competitive team in the Western Conference once again.

They have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons after reaching the NBA Finals in Washington's first season with the team, and his main focus is winning and getting to the mountaintop once again. He played a key role in the Mavericks making a deep playoff run in 2024, and he wants to do whatever it takes to help his team do the same thing again.

P.J. Washington's biggest wish is winning

When asked if he cares about being in the starting lineup following a recent training camp practice, Washington immediately shifted the focus to winning.

"For me, my biggest thing is winning," Washington said. "Whether I'm starting or not, I just want to win. I've been on so many losing teams. I've been to the playoffs one time in my career. So, for me, I just want to turn that around and get to the playoffs and just win. I think that's my biggest thing."

Washington continued to talk about how he can make an impact regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench, and his selfless attitude combined with his wish to win is exactly what the Mavs need from him.

The Mavericks have to turn the page after last season

The last two seasons have been filled with losing, and something has to change this season. 26 wins during Cooper Flagg's rookie season was a major disappointment, and Washington wants to make sure that this doesn't continue.

Dallas needs this type of attitude from him, as belief in the locker room is extremely important for young teams. The Mavericks are trying to rebuild a winning culture, and this starts with the veterans.

Washington went from being one of the younger guys on the team when they acquired him in 2024 to one of the leaders of the team now, and the belief that he has in himself and the team can be infectious. Morale is extremely important, and Washington is ready to put the losing behind him.

Washington has already shown what he can do in the playoffs

He has missed the NBA Playoffs in six of his first seven seasons, and the 2024 NBA Finals gave him a taste of how sweet winning can be. Dallas came up short, but Washington's defense, 3-point shooting, energy, and versatility were all on display that run.

He took his game to the next level when the lights were brightest, and he's dying to get back to playing playoff basketball once again. P.J. averaged 13.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game as Dallas' starting power forward during the playoffs in 2024, and MFFLs will always remember his historic series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Washington put up 17.7 points per game against OKC while shooting 46.9 percent from downtown. He made the Thunder pay for sagging off him from beyond the arc and became a Mavericks cult hero during that playoff run due to his big performances and viral "Standing on Business" moment against the LA Clippers. P.J. even got that tattooed on his leg this offseason.

Washington's quenchless thirst for winning will be valuable as the team enters the Dusty May era, and he's going to do whatever his team needs from him to walk away with some Ws.

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