The Charlotte Hornets should be very pleased with the performance from 6-foot-7 rookie forward PJ Washington during the preseason thus far.

Washington, who was selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, played two collegiate seasons for the Kentucky Wildcats. He showed that he was one of the more diverse scorers in the NCAA, getting buckets on shots near the basket and when spacing the floor shooting off the catch.

He ranked in the Top 5 among all players in the SEC for points scored when posting up last season, per Synergy Sports. The forward also ranked Top 20 in the conference for total scoring as a spot-up shooter.

The forward was not able to play during the 2019 NBA Summer League due to a sprained foot. But during his first two preseason games, he has scored 29 points in 40 minutes of action. Washington opened up hot, shooting 11-for-15 (73.3 percent) from the field. That includes a perfect 7-for-7 on two-pointers, perhaps the most notable feat for the rookie.

Most surprising, though, is that Washington has been fantastic on his pick-and-roll opportunities. Above was his only bucket when rolling to the rim in a traditional PnR as a sophomore, per Synergy.

This was something we saw from Washington slightly more often during his freshman campaign when his point guard was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but even then it accounted for just 4.9 percent of his offensive attempts.

Since preseason began with the Hornets, however, he has already been the beneficiary of several impressive pick-and-roll possessions.

During his debut against the Celtics, for example, point guard Terry Rozier ran a high pick-and-roll as Washington found nothing but open space. As the clock expired towards the end of the first half, the forward was wide open for an easy alley-oop.

Washington showed even more prowess as the roll man in his second game of the preseason during a loss against the Heat.

Fellow rookie Josh Perkins was the ballhandler and Washington called the direction he was going to set his screen for high pick-and-roll. Perkins, who was an elite pick-and-roll creator for Gonzaga as a senior, found Washington on the right side and delivered the ball for a quick basket.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, Washington also found success on the pick-and-roll when slipping off the pick.

This was arguably the most athletic feat of the attempts he has had on this play type thus far. This time, Caleb Martin (another fellow rookie) dribbled off the pick that Washington set.

Martin then fed Washington, who fearlessly attacked his defender and was able to beat him on a tough layup at the rim. For a player like Washington rarely tasked with this type of finish, he is already showing some legitimate comfort on this play type.

Head coach James Borrego recently told Rick Bonnell that he, too, has been particularly enamored with Washington’s ability as a rim roller (via Charlotte Observer):

“He’s been fantastic. Plays hard. Understands the game. Makes shots and rolls to the rim. … .and defensively, he’s only getting better. Challenging shots and rebounding. He can make a major impact in this rotation.”

The lessons have already paid off and fans following Washington can likely expect more of this from the rookie forward. During his first year as coach of the Hornets, only five NBA teams ran PnR sets for the roll man more often than Borrego’s did last season.

While he was more often seen finishing pick-and-pop looks last year, even forward Marvin Williams had 45 looks either rolling to the basket or slipping the pick. However, the veteran was very inefficient when taking it to the rim in the PnR.

It is tough to take much of the preseason action as a key indicator of what will happen next. But for Washington, the improvement in this regard is not worth shrugging shoulders over either.