Hornets rookie PJ Washington breaks 3-point record on NBA debut

P.J. Washington opened his NBA career with a bang by shooting 7-11 from beyond the arc and successfully breaking the 3-point record made by any player on their NBA debut.

The season opener played by two low-ranked teams was not expected to make history, but the rookie from Kentucky proved them wrong. Washington shot five 3-pointers in the first half, tying the NBA record of 3-point shots made by any player in their debut game. He then hit one more in the opening minutes of the third quarter, thus breaking the record. Not entirely satisfied, he hit one more for good measure.

Washington is the 12th overall draft pick last June. After ending the game with 27 points, the Hornets may have found the replacement for Kemba Walker in the young 21-year old rookie. Walker moved to Boston after averaging 25 points in his last season with Charlotte.

The Bulls didn't take Washington's rampage sitting down. The rookie stole the limelight, but Bulls superstar Lauri Markkanen didn't disappoint fans by scoring 35 points and 17 rebounds. Markkanen's stellar performance kept the game close, ending in a 126-125 win by the Hornets.

According to CBS Sports in their post-game interview with Markkanen, the Hornets got comfortable shooting beyond the arc inspired by the rookie. The Hornets ended the game making 23 3-point shots. That is also a franchise record for the Charlotte-based team.

If this NBA season opener will set the tone, it looks like three-point records are in danger again this year. Stephen Curry broke the record a few years ago and broke his own record four times. In last season's opening week, Klay Thompson broke all of Curry's records by making 14 3-point shots in a game. If the Charlotte rookie keeps scoring 27 points a game and harvesting his points beyond the arc, it will make him a strong contender for rookie of the year, and we can someday expect him to break more NBA records. P.J. Washington is definitely an NBA superstar in the making.