P.J. Washington's forgotten vision is transforming his Mavericks future

The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t overcome their clutch time woes once again on Wednesday night, as Dallas dropped a tightly contested game to the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 115-114 despite this being the second consecutive game that the Mavericks had two 30-plus point scorers.

Heading into the game on Wednesday, Dallas’ bad luck in terms of injuries worsened dramatically, as it was announced that young center Dereck Lively II will miss two to three months with a stress fracture in his ankle. The injury bug has been extremely unfortunate for the Mavericks recently, but they are in the midst of a crucial midseason stretch and can’t continue to drop games that are hanging in the balance for them, so perhaps the Mavericks need to bite the bullet and trade for another backup big or wing.

One player who shouldn’t have to shed any of the blame for Wednesday’s loss to Minnesota though is none other than P.J. Washington, as Washington scored 30 points on 12-22 shooting from the field and grabbed seven rebounds. Given how undermanned Dallas was from a shot creation standpoint in this contest, Washington was going to have to step up in terms of his ability to get to the rim and finish, and he was able to do that all evening long against a stout defensive frontcourt in Minnesota.

Washington is becoming an elite finisher and improved ball handler

Washington has talked about how his evolution as a ball handler is the next step in terms of him taking a leap, and this is something that Washington said he worked on all offseason long when asked about it back at Media Day. It's oftentimes forgotten that Washington worked so hard on these areas over the offseason, and his dedication to improving in this way is transforming him as a player.

It’s without a doubt that Washington has looked more comfortable handling the ball in transition as well as in one-on-one situations, as he’s doing an improved job at using his physicality when attacking the rim and has been far more consistent with his footwork and handles.

Despite Dallas’ loss, Washington’s game versus Minnesota showcased just how lethal his dribble-drive game can be, especially as he continues to get better as a playmaker and passer. Washington is already canning 3-pointers at a clip of 36.4 percent for the season, but his ability to get to the rim may be his best skill offensively, and the Mavericks may be smart to try and use Washington’s shot creation abilities more often.

Before Lively II’s injury, Washington was already possibly Dallas’ third most important player, but now he’s easily become the third most significant contributor on this roster. Washington’s 3-point shot typically comes and goes, and he’s shot far better above the break compared to the corners, but concerns over his shooting will be completely swept under the rug if he can play as aggressively as he did on Wednesday night.

Given Washington is already 26 years old, he could’ve easily capped out his offensive skill set and tried to focus more on starring in his role as a 3-and-D player like we see with many players at this stage in their careers, but Washington’s ambition to become a more dynamic player on offense is unlocking new parts of his game for the Mavericks.

Even when Luka Doncic returns from injury and Dallas has a far more healthy lineup, Washington still needs to be a huge part of Dallas’ offense, as they can come up with some creative play designs to feature his evergrowing in-between game.