PJ Washington was added to the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline to address a previous off-season mistake. Despite modest counting numbers, Washington has been a revelation defensively for the team. The Mavericks have significantly improved their defensive rating with Washington on the floor, dropping nearly seven points per 100 possessions, according to stats site PBPStats.com. This improvement can be attributed to Washington's efforts in changing the team's transition defense and reducing fastbreak points allowed.

The Mavericks, known for their poor transition defense in the past, have seen a positive change with Washington's presence. Over the last 10 games, they have only given up an average of 13.5 fastbreak points compared to nearly 16 per game before. Washington, along with other players like Derrick Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford, has brought pure energy and effort to defending in transition, resulting in fewer easy points for opponents.

Despite Washington's defensive contributions, his shooting from the corner has been a challenge. While corner threes are known to artificially inflate the offensive value of defensive wings, Washington's shooting percentage from the corners has actually decreased since joining the Mavericks. With the Charlotte Hornets, he shot 25.6 percent on corner threes, but with the Mavericks, his percentage has fallen to 21.4 percent. This is despite an increase in the number of corner threes he takes.

Despite his shooting struggles, there is a glimmer of hope for Washington. In the last four games, he has shot 44 percent from three, including a better percentage on corner threes. While these numbers are not yet statistically significant, they suggest that Washington may shoot better from above the break than the corners. If the Mavericks can utilize him in his preferred locations on the court, he may be able to contribute offensively as much as he does defensively.