Following two collegiate seasons at Kentucky, Washington was selected with the 12th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2019 NBA Draft. He made his NBA debut Oct. 23 against the Bulls. In that game, he played 38 minutes and posted 27 points (9-17 FG, 7-11 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, one assist, a career-high seven three pointers, one steal and one block. The 27 points remained his career-high through his rookie season. Two nights later, Washington registered his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 boards during a home loss to Minnesota. Washington had four double-doubles on the season. On Jan. 8, the 6-foot-7 forward grabbed career-high 12 rebounds during a close home loss to the Raptors. Washington's other single-game career highs were established at six assists, four steals and four blocks. Overall, he averaged 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 30.3 minutes per contest. Washington shot 45.5 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from behind the arc with 1.5 made three-pointers per game. He had seven games with 20-plus points, 38 games with at least five rebounds and 27 games with at least three assists. He had 13 games with multiple steals and 10 games with multiple blocks. In September, the Kentucky product was named to the All-Rookie Second Team.