2019 NBA Draft: Top 10 prospects to watch during March Madness

By Tony Pesta | Mar 21, 2019

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 16: Teammates Zion Williamson #1, RJ Barrett #5, and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils react after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 73-63 in the championship game of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

9. PJ Washington — F (Kentucky)

The 6’8″, 230-pound forward out of Kentucky is looking to make waves in the NCAA Tournament. PJ Washington has been very good in spurts for the 2-seed in the Midwest region this season and has helped lead them to a 27-6 record.

Washington has made a name for himself by being a brute down low. His strength allows him to overpower opponents and rebound the ball with minimal effort. Washington led all rebounders on Kentucky with an average of 7.6 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, Washington is also able to use his size to his advantage when scoring the ball. He utilizes a decent array of moves in the low post and can occasionally step out to shoot the mid-range jump shot. Washington is averaging 14.8 points on 51.5 percent shooting from the floor.

The main concern with Washington is his height. While he is a respectable athlete, it will be tough for him to find a comfortable role in the NBA at his height. He will have to develop a deeper jump shot in order to last in the big leagues.

Luckily, it seems like he has been working on his stroke as he is shooting 41.9 percent from deep this year. This is nearly 20 percent higher than what he shot in his freshman campaign.

Washington has some work to do before being a valuable NBA player. However, his strength and rebounding will help him win over a lot of scouts during this tournament.