Some lineups will need whoever draws the lesser defender to bring the ball up. Washington is a candidate to do it as a point forward, depending on who is guarding him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe shot the ball well in live play,\u201d May said. \u201cHe\u2019s making good decisions on and off the ball. And then there\u2019s gonna be lineups with whoever has the lesser defenders that have to bring it up. And P.J. certainly in that mix.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA guy that can play the point forward, and it\u2019s all dependent on who\u2019s guarding him and the matchups in that game,\u201d May added. \u201cSo, playing as many teams as we play, and as big as the league is, you\u2019re gonna see so many different things. And so you gotta have that optionality.\u201d<\/p>\n
May said Washington is a good passer and fights for his teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s done things every day that impress [me]. Like I said, his basketball IQ, he\u2019s a winning player,\u201d May said. \u201cI mean, he fights for his teammates, he has their backs. He\u2019s a good passer. Like I said, he\u2019s a quick thinker. So yeah, we\u2019re excited about P.J. Like I said, he checks a lot of boxes as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thursday was the first day Dallas went 3-on-3 in camp. May did not evaluate Washington on his own in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cLive play. I mean, today\u2019s the first day we\u2019ve done three-on-three, and I didn\u2019t evaluate him per se versus how the teams play and how they function together,\u201d May said. \u201cBut the things we worked against today, he was well-versed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dusty May On Max Christie, Naji Marshall, And Morez Johnson Jr.<\/p>\n
Max Christie<\/a> said Sunday that he does not want to be known as just a 3-point shooter, and he wants a bigger two-way role<\/a> this season. He started the most games at shooting guard for Dallas last season. Christie has a quick first step and great speed, according to May.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be known as something, I\u2019d love to be known as a shooter in this game. That\u2019s very important,\u201d May said. \u201cSo for him to have that and hang his hat on is extremely important for us in a lot of ways. \u2026 But with Max, he has such a quick first step. He\u2019s got great speed. He tries to do everything the team needs him to do, every possession.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then defensively, I think he\u2019s a very underrated defender at the point of attack and off the ball. He plays hard. He\u2019s still young, so the physicality part is improving every year,\u201d May continued. \u201cBut to me, Max is trending towards being a complete player.\u201d<\/p>\n Dallas has a number of point-of-attack options because of its size. Cooper Flagg<\/a>, Zaccharie Risacher<\/a>, and Naji Marshall<\/a> were the first names that came to mind for May. On Monday, he said Flagg\u2019s blocks should go up<\/a> in his second season.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, because of our size, we have a number of players. I think Coop\u2019s off-ball instincts are so good,\u201d May said. \u201cWe probably, if it\u2019s a slow game, we wouldn\u2019t have him at the point of attack as much, just because he can make so many plays away from it. Zach has got to be somebody that plays like that. Naji as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNaji\u2019s defense, when I think of Naji as a rookie and second-year player, he cut his teeth in the NBA as a junkyard-dog defender, a little bit of everything,\u201d May detailed. \u201cAnd as he\u2019s expanded his offensive game, his identity has changed a little bit, but he certainly is capable of it. Those are the ones that jumped to my mind at first.\u201d<\/p>\n Marshall set his 3-point target at 45%<\/a> at media day. Last season, he averaged a career-high 15.2 points and shot 29.1% from three. In 2023-24, his last season in New Orleans, Marshall shot 38.7% from deep on 58-of-150.<\/p>\n A better jumper would force defenders to go over picks and give Marshall even more space to create, May said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt opens things up for him. It opens things up for his teammates,\u201d May said. \u201cAnd with Naji, as good of a passer and creator as he is, his jump shot, if he\u2019s shooting it well enough, they have to go over the picks, and he\u2019s got even more space to create.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut Naji, as a primary handler, secondary handler, he\u2019s able to create advantages. And then the jump shot just gives him a whole other dimension,\u201d May noted. \u201cHe\u2019s shot it well in New Orleans. He\u2019s had some seasons where he\u2019s shot the ball well enough. And I look forward to watching him continue to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n Morez Johnson Jr.<\/a> has been limited in camp by lower leg soreness<\/a>, and Dallas is managing his workload. The ninth overall pick played for May on Michigan\u2019s 2026 national championship team. Johnson had a great summer and a good fall, according to May.<\/p>\n \u201cMorez looks good. He\u2019s eager to obviously be cleared full time, but he\u2019s working back in closer and closer,\u201d May said. \u201cBut he\u2019s acclimated well. He had a great summer. He had a good fall. And once again, when he\u2019s on the floor, his impact is felt because of his physicality and intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n Lead assistant Willie Green was the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Assistant Garrett Temple retired as a player in July after 16 NBA seasons to join May\u2019s staff. May wants their view from both sides.<\/p>\n \u201cI ask Willie and Garrett; they have the most NBA experience on our staff,\u201d May said. \u201cI ask those guys a number of questions every day from the mindset of a player and also from the mindset of a coach, because they\u2019ve done well.\u201d<\/p>\n May has not coached an NBA game yet. The routine is a little different, he said, but he has not been through it.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the things that it\u2019s reconfirmed is how, because of the reps, because you have to be the best to be here, how smart the players are,\u201d May said. \u201cOther than that, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve learned anything yet, \u2019cause we haven\u2019t been through it. I haven\u2019t played a game yet. Obviously, the routine\u2019s a little bit different, but, so I can\u2019t say that I\u2019ve learned a lot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Some days in practice, the offense is clicking. On others, the defense is stealing the ball, and May said there is no way to tell which side is ahead until Dallas plays someone else.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so hard to tell. That\u2019s why I love the fact that in the NBA we play games quicker, sooner than later,\u201d May said. \u201cBecause we don\u2019t really know enough about ourselves until another team exposes it. And so we\u2019ll know a lot more later on.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tP.J. Washington On Macao, Kyrie Irving, And Morez Johnson Jr.<\/p>\n Washington has missed 51 games over the last two seasons. He played 57 games in 2024-25 and 56 last season, when he averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. At media day<\/a>, he said the weight room was the biggest thing he wanted to focus on this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, just my biggest emphasis is making sure I\u2019m doing everything, making sure my body\u2019s right each and every day, make sure I come in here at 100% health, and just doing all the little things,\u201d Washington said. \u201cI think for me, the weight room has been very beneficial for me. Try to do something each and every day, and I think that\u2019ll take me a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n Washington shot 32.5% from three last season after shooting 38.1% in 2024-25. His shot was one of three things he worked on beyond his health.<\/p>\n \u201cMy shot mechanics, being able to playmake a little better, and just trying to get a good rhythm in the offense and finding my niche, I would say,\u201d Washington explained.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Washington worked on his pull-up. His biggest thing with the shot is staying upright and getting the ball out the same way every time.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s great for me and great for the team. If I can hit the three-ball at a consistent rate, it opens the floor for a lot of us,\u201d Washington said. \u201cThe team\u2019s got to guard me out there. Obviously, I\u2019m going to have more driving lanes and more ways to create for others. For me, my biggest thing is just trying to stay upright and get the ball out the same way every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n Being vocal off the floor as well as on it is part of the job now for Washington, who is entering his eighth NBA season.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been good. I mean, for me, I think obviously I\u2019m at the point in my career where I\u2019m a vet now. So my voice means a lot more now,\u201d Washington said. \u201cSo for me, I think it\u2019s going to be my biggest transition during the year, is making sure I\u2019m \u2026 off the floor and on the floor for the guys, and just being vocal doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n Dallas opens the preseason against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9 at 7 a.m. CT at The Venetian Arena in Macao, and the teams play there again Oct. 11. Washington went to Shanghai and Hangzhou this summer. Playing in front of that crowd will be a blessing, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to get through the flight, to be honest with you. Obviously, it\u2019s going to be a whole different culture. I\u2019m excited to see and interact with the people out there,\u201d Washington said. \u201cObviously, playing in front of that crowd is going to be a blessing. And for me, just being thankful, just obviously being able to play that game that I love in different parts of the world and interacting with people. So I\u2019m excited to see how they treat us out there, and they\u2019re ready to have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n Basketball is popular in China, and Washington is excited to dig into the food.<\/p>\n \u201cI went out there, I went to Shanghai this summer. So it\u2019s far. I know that. Obviously, they love basketball over there, they love us,\u201d Washington said. \u201cSo it\u2019s gonna be definitely an experience for all of us. And I\u2019m super excited to dig into the food and just get a different feel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI went to Shanghai and then Hangzhou. And what was shocking to me was the architecture and then how many people were there. It was kind of like Mexico City,\u201d Washington continued. \u201cLike, there was somebody everywhere. So, I\u2019m super excited, and I can\u2019t really wait.\u201d<\/p>\n Flagg won Rookie of the Year last season after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 70 games. The Mavericks are playing off him in camp, according to Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been great. I think for him, he\u2019s been doing a great job of just being himself, and we\u2019re kind of playing off of him,\u201d Washington said. \u201cSo he\u2019s able to make plays. He\u2019s able to take his shots. He\u2019s able to be versatile on both ends of the floor, and we\u2019re kind of just piggybacking, or just helping him find ways to be himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Kyrie Irving<\/a> returned without restrictions<\/a> 18 months after tearing the ACL in his left knee. Washington and Irving played together for a season and a half before Irving\u2019s injury in March 2025. Irving makes it easier for everybody else, Washington said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been great. I love playing with Kyrie. He brings so much attention,\u201d Washington said. \u201cHe makes it so much easier for everybody else. His gravity is one of a kind, and I can\u2019t wait for him to be on the floor with everybody and obviously everybody to be healthy. That\u2019s my biggest thing, and I\u2019m just ready to have some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson is in early every day trying to get better, according to Washington. Marshall called the rookie a dog on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a dog. I mean, he\u2019s a bully out there. He\u2019s strong. He knows what we want to do each and every possession. He talks on both ends, and he\u2019s willing to learn,\u201d Washington said. \u201cHe\u2019s in here every day early trying to get better. And, I mean, you love guys like that, especially when they\u2019re young. You know they\u2019re going to have a bright future.\u201d<\/p>\n Players from all over the world give Dallas an advantage, according to Washington, because they have seen different types of basketball and can adjust faster.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many languages they speak. I think we have a lot of foreign guys. So, for me, I feel like I can learn a lot of different languages this year,\u201d Washington said. \u201cSo, I think it\u2019s an advantage, obviously, having guys playing all over the world, seeing different types of basketball so they can adjust better and adjust faster. So we\u2019ve got a lot of smart guys on this team. So I think it\u2019s going to be a really good year for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Santi Aldama<\/a> and Sergio de Larrea<\/a> play together for Spain. Washington has not learned any new words from them yet.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve kind of been stingy. Serge and Santi, they\u2019ve been speaking Spanish just to themselves,\u201d Washington said. \u201cSo I\u2019m going to pick their brain a little bit during the season.\u201d<\/p>\n In the 2024 playoffs, Washington started all 22 of Dallas\u2019 games on the way to the NBA Finals. He has been on a lot of losing teams, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, my biggest thing is winning. Whether I\u2019m starting or not, I just want to win,\u201d Washington said. \u201cI\u2019ve been on so many losing teams. I\u2019ve 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\u2019s my biggest thing. So I feel like if I\u2019m starting or not, I can make an impact on the floor whenever I\u2019m out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Washington has played most of his NBA minutes at power forward, while also sliding over to center and small forward at times. Regardless of what position he plays, he wants to be good at everything.<\/p>\n \u201cVersatility. For me, being able to guard perimeter guys, being able to guard big guys. And then offensively, being able to play in a pick-and-roll as a screener, as a ball handler, and just playing different mismatches,\u201d Washington said. \u201cSo, for me, my biggest thing is I want to be good at everything. So, I feel like in my workouts I should try to do, whether that\u2019s finishing, shooting, playmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 So, for me, it\u2019s just trying to work on each and every aspect of my game so I can be on the floor. If the bigs are hurt, I can play five,\u201d Washington continued. \u201cWhen we\u2019re short on guards, I can bring it up. So for me, just being versatile.\u201d<\/p>\n After Macao, Dallas closes the preseason at home against New Orleans on Oct. 14 and Atlanta on Oct. 16. The regular season opens Oct. 21 at Houston, with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some lineups will need whoever draws the lesser defender to bring the ball up. 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