The legend grows: Luka Dončić and P.J. Washington have more in common than you think

There are people who like to focus on his stats and numbers. Others on his efficiency and defensive talent. Now it’s time to talk about how P.J. Washington makes us feel. A guy who’s been in Dallas for mere months, already reaching folk hero status and talk about being a Mavericks legend.

How did this happen so quickly?

Washington, like Luka Dončić, is a showman. He’s a performer, a playoff riser, who embraces the spotlight. And just like Luka Dončić, he feeds off of the heightened competition.

When a player rises to the occasion in the playoffs, in a tougher and much more competitive environment than the regular season, it’s a sign of a very special type of player. When you do it once, we’re talking about a great role player, when you do it repeatedly, we’re talking about star potential.

P.J. Washington is quickly becoming the guy everyone wished they had on their team.

He’s been great on defense, doing the small things all postseason, but on offense he’s just getting better and better. Confidence and the moment seem to carry him to a level very few players have reached before him. Not only with some high scoring games in round two at this point, but also with the mental edge, which only this specific breed of competitor encapsulates.

The much celebrated P.J. pose in round one laid the foundation for legend status for Washington in Dallas.

The attitude and audacity to pull that off was outrageous and full of the showmanship we have come to expect from someone else cut from the same mold: Luka Dončić.

But in all honesty, not a lot of other players are really able to do something like that without either looking corny or foolish.

But Washington looked neither. And from that moment on, he took the next step in forming a new identity. P.J. the playoff performer, who rises to the occasion and has the mental edge against opponents.

Like his quote that Terance Mann “was mad that I was looking at their bench, so I decided to look at it again.”

His constant defense and protection of Luka Dončić in heated moments is not overlooked by the team - and Luka Dončić, who has needed a guy next to him to stand up to opponents for years.

His relentless trolling of the Clippers team after the series win shows his mindset. It’s war, get ready for battle.

In the trenches, this is a winning strategy. This is what creates cohesion and team connection behind the scenes, which translates to the court with ease, when it’s authentic. And with Washington, it’s always authentic, it’s always real, heart on his sleeve and body on the line.

Like here, in game 4, where OKC’s Kenrich Williams tried to get in Dereck Lively’ face, and Washington stepped in between:

This is clearly about more than basketball for Washington. It’s redemption after being underrated and stuck on a bad team, it’s a homecoming to the team and city of his childhood and of his family and friends, and it’s about sticking up for what matters. Relationships, friends, family and your teammates.

And that’s what we all feel, when watching him. Getting better and better, he draws at our heartstrings, because he is authenticity itself. Like Luka, he plays with an urgency and emotion that translates through the screen, across the globe, and into the hearts of people all over.

We cannot take what P.J. Washington is doing right now for granted. When it’s all said and done, no matter the result, he put his heart on the line, took the chance when it presented itself - and then used the power that brings to rise higher than anyone expected.

And just like Luka Dončić, he is the perfect showman, a great performer, and the playoff riser of dreams. And that’s not something that comes around very often.

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