Rethink the way you view Hornets PJ Washington and Miles Bridges. A lot is changing.

Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego has hinted for months he wants to play P.J. Washington more at center.

Tuesday was no longer a hint. It was a declaration.

“I imagine a lot of minutes for P.J. Washington at the 5 — a lot,” Borrego said. “Especially where the league is headed, playing a lot more small-ball, sliding P.J. to the 5 and Miles (Bridges) to the 4 (power forward).

“We’re a dynamic, versatile, athletic frontcourt with Miles and PJ together, so I’d expect a lot of those two together.”

Washington, mostly a power forward his first NBA season, is prepared and excited. He said he played center almost exclusively in the Hornets’ intrasquad scrimmages during a two-week mini-bubble in October.

“I feel like I definitely have a mismatch,” at center, the 6-foot-6 Washington described. “I feel like I’m a lot quicker than a lot of centers in this league. When I played center (last season), I felt like I played well. I feel like with a smaller group, we can switch everything and be a better defensive group.”

There are numerous factors playing into this: In the macro, many other NBA teams have shifted toward playing smaller combinations in the interior. Specific to the Hornets, it’s also that Borrego never settled on a center rotation last season, and now looks for paths to blend in Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball quickly.

The Hornets’ center mix

Based on his actions, Borrego wasn’t thrilled with his three centers last season — Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez. Zeller started 39 of 65 games, Biyombo started 29 and Hernangomez started none (Biyombo and Zeller started three games together).

Zeller enters the last season on his contract and Biyombo signed a 1-year, $3.5 million contract to return to Charlotte. Hernangomez signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Borrego isn’t saying he won’t use Zeller or Biymbo. He even said Tuesday he’s comfortable if Zeller continues as a starter.

However, Borrego is clearly searching out options. The Hornets added two second-round rookie big men during the draft — Duke’s Vernon Carey, Jr., and Kentucky’s Nick Richards — but it seems unlikely either one would get quick playing time.

That points to the Washington-Bridges frontcourt, which Washington said brings an entirely different element.

“Me and him are both so versatile, it bring a lot of mismatches for us,” Washington said. “I feel like we can both guard, and we can switch onto smaller guys. We both have long arms and both are athletic.”

Not ‘reactionary’

Washington and Bridges are both 6-6. Playing Washington at center and Bridges at power forward probably wouldn’t have worked 10 years ago, when most NBA teams were starting players approaching 7-foot in the middle.

But the league in general has migrated toward smaller, more mobile interior players. For instance, 6-9 Marvin Williams, who began his NBA career as a small forward, was playing lots of small-ball center in Charlotte for both Borrego and his predecessor, Steve Clifford.

This plays to Borrego’s stated philosophy when the Hornets hired him in the spring of 2018; that he didn’t want to be reactionary, scared away from using his best player combinations by match-ups with other teams.

“I’d rather dictate. Sometimes it’s going to work and sometimes not,” Borrego said in the fall of 2018. “I just don’t operate on the mindset I’m going to follow (an opposing coach’s) lead: Let you dictate tempo to us and match-ups to us.”

There will be some centers — like Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid — whose size and bulk will preclude Charlotte small-ball. But Borrego sounds committed to trying this for stretches of most games, and there is tumble-down value.

Charlotte Hornets are adding playmakers

Adding 6-7 Hayward on a $120 million, 4-year contract makes it inevitable he starts at small forward, which had been Bridges’ spot. Bridges’ bulky body likely better suits him to power forward.

At 6-7, rookie Ball joins Hayward as playmakers with size — a combination Borrego craved. Going small helps create options to play those two together, surrounded by shooters.

“Two ball-handlers with size, that’s to me one of the major pieces that we needed to add,” Borrego said. “If you look at rosters that are winning in today’s league, they have these type of guys.”

It’s conceivable Borrego’s lineup finishing games could be Washington-Bridges-Hayward-Ball and either Devonte Graham or Terry Rozier. That would combine shooting, playmaking and perimeter length in a way Borrego didn’t really have on last season’s roster.

But that works only to the extent 6-6 Washington can hold up at center. Washington says Golden State’s Draymond Green and Miami’s Bam Adebayo are his center models now. He doesn’t sound daunted by the challenge.

“At the end of the day, defense is just will and want-to,” Washington said. “I don’t like people scoring on me, so I’ll take that to heart.”