NBA Draft 2019: Best and worst fits for all potential lottery picks

11. PJ Washington, 6-8 F/C, Kentucky

BEST: Charlotte Hornets

Sometimes when you have a lottery pick it simply pays off to nab a guy that projects to be a good role player for years and years and years. Stars are hard to come by, and taking reckless swings at players with “upside” and a total lack of feel or skill is dangerous for a team that’s on the verge of entering another lengthy rebuild shrouded in uncertainty. The big-bodied bruiser out of Kentucky looks to be a fine prospect at the tail-end of the lottery and a solid fit for Charlotte.

Washington‘s decision to return for a second go-around at Kentucky was unequivocally a huge success, as the 20-year-old forward averaged 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while also posting an intriguing 52.2-42.3-66.3 shooting clip. If Washington’s strong 6-8, 230-pound frame (and ridiculous 7-3 wingspan) gets coupled with legitimate outside shooting touch, then Washington profiles extremely well as a modern-day ‘4’ who can provide a positive impact on both ends of the floor.

He’d be a fine addition to the current cache of young building blocks (6-3 off-guard Malik Monk and  6-7 combo-forward Miles Bridges) and would be selected with the hope of being the franchise’s starting power forward relatively soon — a sensible proposition since Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be leaving the team as a free agent either this summer or the next.

(And, yes, Miami and Boston would be great fits for the bulky forward, too. Minnesota and Memphis wouldn’t be horrible fits, either. There’s plenty of room for a player like PJ Washington in the NBA.)

WORST: Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta isn’t necessarily a “poor” fit, per se, but there are aspects of Washington’s positional ambiguity that wouldn’t be resolved if he were to be a Hawk. Throughout his two-year career at Kentucky, Washington spent essentially every single minute exclusively manning the paint as a power forward or “small” center, where he was visibly quiet effective (and dare I say overpowering on many occasions).

Large sample size aside, some NBA draftniks are fascinated by the idea of playing the 6-8 mammoth as a ‘3’ at the next level, sliding him up a position to play on the perimeter. This idea isn’t unfounded, as his ball skills and shooting have both progressed rapidly our the years, lending credence to the legitimacy of such a daring idea. It is certainly worth trying out at the next level — but is Atlanta the place for this experiment to be held?

As is, the Hawks have John Collins locked in as the franchise’s starting power forward — he’s not a rim protector or rim deterrent by any means, so he wouldn’t be sliding down to play the ‘5’ anytime soon, especially not to accommodate a rookie. And although Washington played as a center often in college and dominated whilst doing so, his combination of size and strength, when compared to the other NBA-caliber bigs that he’d square up against, render him more of a forward who’s capable of playing spot minutes at center every now and then depending on in-game situations.

This would effectively Washington into the ‘3’ spot, putting a lot of faith into the hope that he can make the proposed idea a distinct reality. If he were to fail to break out as a legit NBA small forward, then he’d be left to serving as a backup — since a lottery (and likely top-10) selection is mighty rich for a potential backup, Atlanta makes for a shaky fit for Washington. Landing somewhere where he’d have ample room to play both forward spots until he finds his ideal NBA position would be best for him, which is why Charlotte — a team that could realistically switch both Bridges and Washington between forward sports — stands out as an optimal landing spot. Is this nitpicking? Sure, but it’s a valid observation nonetheless.