Phoenix Suns: Who Deserves Minutes At Backup SG?
Archie Goodwin
Out of Phoenix’s three shooting guards, Archie Goodwin seems like the most likely to be left out of the rotation at this point in time. While Weems and Booker have one or two distinguishable skills that they bring to the table at a high level, Goodwin is a jack-of-some-trades and a master of none.
Through his first two seasons in the league, the ultra-young Goodwin was unable to crack the rotation. Though he was bursting with potential and impressive athleticism when he was first drafted at age 18, Goodwin is heading into his third NBA season without having improved his defense or his perimeter shooting to the level it needs to be in order to earn rotational minutes.
Last season, Goodwin shot 29.3 percent from three-point range and on the defensive end, he regularly gave up drives that looked exactly like this play from NBA Summer League:
The 21-year-old Goodwin will have to improve in both those areas if he wants to prove to Hornacek that he’s more playable now. In the preseason, Goodwin made only two of his six long range attempts, though that 33.3 percent technically is an improvement over the percentages he’s posted thus far.
The reason for the slight improvement is probably from simple repetition, along with the removal of the hitch that used to come in his jump shot. Goodwin displayed an improved shooting stroke at Summer League, and though he only shot 31.3 percent from deep in Las Vegas, his form looked a lot more conducive to making baskets.
However, even if he only shot around 34 percent from downtown this season, the Suns would probably be okay with a number in that range as long as he continues to do what he does best: attack the rim.
Goodwin is slender, but he’s got a devastatingly quick first step and he’s athletic enough to elevate over and around interior defenders. In a preseason game against the Utah Jazz, Goodwin showed no fear attacking the basket, getting a couple of tricky, tough shots to go at the rim even after Rudy Gobert sent one of them into the stands.
“That’s what we want him to do,” Hornacek said after the game. “He’s very good when he attacks the basket. You’re gonna get your shot blocked every once in a while, especially by Gobert, he’s probably one of the best shot blockers in the league. So those are things when you attack, you can’t shy away from those guys. Yeah maybe they’ll block it, but maybe one time you’ll get a foul.”
Goodwin will have to find the balance between being aggressive and being reckless, especially since defenders will learn to play the dribble and force him to shoot if he’s unable to make teams pay from downtown. Goodwin appears to be the odd man out for now, but if Hornacek stays true to his “ride the hot hand” approach, it could bode well for the third-year guard who still has a lot of potential to deliver.
“I like what he’s doing,” Hornacek said. “He’s playing hard defensively, he’s made some great passes over these last couple of games and when he can attack the basket like that, he’s made extra passes. He’s doing what we’re asking.”
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