Following two collegiate seasons at Kentucky, Washington was selected with the 12th overall pick by the 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, one steal and one block. The 27 points remained his career high through his rookie season. Washington's other single-game career highs were set at 12 rebounds, seven threes, 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. He shot 45.5 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three (1.5 makes) and 64.7 percent from the free-throw line. He had four double-doubles. Washington 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.