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Phoenix Suns: 5 Takeaways From The Lost 2015-16 Season

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 1, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) is congratulated by teammate guard Devin Booker (1) in the first half of the game against the Washington Wizards at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) is congratulated by teammate guard Devin Booker (1) in the first half of the game against the Washington Wizards at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Feb 8, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Archie Goodwin (20) handles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Oklahoma City won 122- 106. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Goodwin Has His Work Cut Out For Him

Archie Goodwin just can’t catch a break. As a rookie, he barely played behind Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Gerald Green on a 48-win team. His second season, the team won nine fewer games, but the logjam somehow got thicker with the arrival of Isaiah Thomas and then Brandon Knight.

This year, Goodwin had to overcome a logjam at the 2 between himself, Sonny Weems and rookie Devin Booker, and even when Bledsoe and Knight went down with injuries, he still found inconsistent minutes thanks to the head coaching changes and Watson’s devotion to feeding minutes to Ronnie Price and John Jenkins.

But even though Goodwin is still a very raw player, poor perimeter shooter and below-average defender, he did show signs of promise when he got extended minutes.

"“There was a lot of speculation, ‘Is he good enough? Can he do this? Can he do that?’” Goodwin said. “I think that was just a chance to show that I actually am good enough, I just have so many guys in front of me I don’t get to prove it, but I actually can play. Don’t get it twisted, I can play. It’s just one of those things, we have a lot of guys on our team that can play.”"

In 13 starts this season (mostly due to necessity because of injuries), Goodwin averaged 15.9 points, 4.4 assists and 3.6 turnovers per game. With Bledsoe, Knight and Price all out injured, Goodwin spent a fair amount of time at the point guard spot, where, despite his numerous turnovers and less than stellar defense, he relatively held his own.

"“For me the biggest thing is getting better at ball handling, because I honestly feel like my better production came at point guard,” Goodwin said. “My last few games I had this year that were good games, point guard position. Early in the year when I was playing that stretch of 12 games starting and I played well, it was at the point guard position.”"

With Ronnie Price hitting free agency, the Suns technically don’t have a backup point guard on the books for 2016-17. Archie Goodwin shouldn’t be that player, but his minutes at the 2-spot figure to be severely limited as well.

Knight will probably be the starter if he’s ready for the start of next season. Devin Booker is a rising star who will eventually overtake Knight in the rotation. Goodwin would normally be the undisputed third shooting guard in the depth chart, but even that’s not guaranteed with the possible arrival of Bogdan Bogdanovic.

A large portion of the Suns fan base is ready to give up on Goodwin, despite the fact that his team option for next season is a measly $2.1 million. Still, even on a cheap contract, this will be a make-or-break season for Archie Goodwin, and that backcourt logjam isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Next: No. 4

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