Things are looking up for Charlotte Hornets rookie PJ Washington. The 20-year-old coming out of Kentucky has just signed a shoe deal with Nike:

Washington, a 6-foot-8 forward, was selected by the Hornets with their 12th overall pick. He is coming off an amazing sophomore year with the Wildcats, averaging 15.2 points (on 52.2 percent shooting), 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 29.3 minutes per contest. The Louisville, Kentucky native also shot a 42.3 percent clip on 3-pointers, adding to his all-around numbers.

As we all know, Nike is very selective with the athletes it decides to sign, and it appears Washington fits the mold required by the brand. It is highly unlikely, however, that the promising rookie will be coming out with his own line of basketball kicks, but who knows, maybe this will somehow come to fruition in a couple of years or so.

Washington joins a Hornets side that is currently in the midst of an identity crisis following the summer departure of longtime cornerstone superstar Kemba Walker. Charlotte will be looking for the new face of the franchise, and at this point, this is totally up for grabs.

Guys like Miles Bridges and newcomer Terry Rozier will definitely be in contention to be the team's new talisman, but depending on how Washington fares during the first few months of the season, PJ Washington might actually have an outside shot at being the team's main man sooner rather than later.