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PJ Washington is Moving Along with the NBA Draft Process; Meeting with Multiple Teams in LA
Kentucky freshman forward PJ Washington is meeting with NBA teams as the NBA Draft combine approaches.
According to Jon Hale of the Courier-Journal, Washington worked out for the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. He’s also in Los Angeles for meetings with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, and LA Clippers before heading to the combine next week in Chicago.
Hale spoke with Washington’s father, Paul Washington, about the draft process and Washington’s injured finger that will require surgery at some point.
His father explained that the original plan was to have surgery after the season ending loss to Kansas State, but the positive NBA feedback delayed things.
During his freshman season at Kentucky, Washington averaged 10.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 52 percent from the field. One of his best games of the season came in the season finale vs. K-State, where he had 18 points and 15 rebounds. However, he struggled at the free throw line by hitting only 8-of-20 attempts, in large part because of his injured finger.
The combine is May 16-20 and after that, Washington will have until May 30th to make a final decision. He will take the feedback he is provided, and then decide what is best for his future.
According to his father, if he is a guaranteed first round pick then he will remain in the draft. If he’s an early second round pick, he might still want to keep his name in, but his father is leaving that in his sons hands. He had the following to say in the story with the Courier-Journal.
“It’s real simple — if he’s guaranteed a first round pick, then he’ll stay in the draft,” Paul Washington said. “If he doesn’t get that, we’ll have to make a decision. It’s PJ’s decision. Now, if he doesn’t get a first-round guarantee and a team says he’ll be an early second round pick, then PJ might say he wants to do that. That’s his decision as well. But the easiest thing is if he gets a guarantee in writing that he’ll go in the first round.”
[Courier-Journal]
