Charlotte Hornets rookie PJ Washington has now missed three consecutive games for his team due to a fractured finger. Recently, the 21-year-old revealed that Hornets teammate Miles Bridges was actually the reason behind what has turned out to be a rather considerable injury.

While this was certainly not intentional, this injury could have easily been avoided if these two had better communication during the play in question. Washington may not have been paying attention when Bridges threw the ball at him, and for his part, perhaps Bridges could have been a bit more cautious with his pass, especially considering that it was a dead ball situation.

Whatever the case may be, what remains is that Washington will be missing relatively significant time because of this issue. The fact that no timetable has been set for his return likely means that the team do not expect him to be back anytime soon.

This actually comes as quite a blow for Charlotte, with the 6-foot-7 power forward doing quite well in his debut season. Right now, last June's 12th overall pick is averaging 12.3 points (on 48.1 percent shooting), 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks, while also knocking down 1.4 3-pointers per contest on a 40.6-percent clip.

Washington is not exactly in the conversation as this season's Rookie of the Year, but surely, the former Kentucky standout has been quite a revelation for the Hornets, while also proving to be a bargain after being selected outside the Top 10 in the draft.