Archie Goodwin

[JDLAW]

People are placing a ton of expectations on Goodwin and doing so prematurely. I too have expectations for him, but they are more tempered. I do not think he will be starting anytime soon.

First, I do not think the Suns are going to bench with Dragic or Bledsoe unless the duo cannot function together. Second, Goodwin is still physically immature (growing) and his game is somewhat immature. His game will mature with playing time, but his body will mature at its own rate independent of court time. Players who are immature physically generally cannot take the pounding of an NBA season and their long term health is better served if they are brought along a little more slowly.

I liken Goodwin's physical maturity to that of Kobe Bryant when he was a rookie in 96-97. Both exceptional athletes and a ton of potential, and both very young. Bryant was a rotational player but only averaged 15-16 minutes per game and only played about 70 games. This equated to about 1100 minutes for the season, which is equivalent to a college season on a good (tournament) team. Given the exceptional quality of the Suns Med staff and trainers, I suspect they will recommend that Goodwin has a similar rookie year - a rotational player who is around 1200 minutes for the year which would match a college season. It is a safe approach so he is not injured from too much stress of an NBA marathon season while he continues to grow and mature physically.

[thamadkant]

1. Archie Goodwin is only a fresh 19 years old when 2013-2014 starts.
2. He is apparently still growing.
3. Because of his age and his body still maturing, it's fair to say he doesn't have the body toughness yet to sustain bumps against heavier, harder bodies without taking a toll on his body.
4. Archie Goodwin's game is all about attacking the rim and taking contact.



With the 4 statements above.

Yes, Archie should not play starter minutes or heavy minutes next season.
The focus should be to expose him to NBA competition so the Suns development staff and coaching staff as well as Archie himself can GAUGE his short comings physically and skills wise. He doesn't need to be a "pillar" to the Suns, he simply needs to contribute in small bits.


Now...

We've all heard Hornacek mention he want to play fast and run a lot.... I believe he has multiple reasons why to do this.

1. Fast uptempo game means less physical bumps and banging... Benefits Suns if they plan to develop young players who are not physically mature.

2. It give the youth freedom to play to their instinct and less focus on Xs and Os.
Which is great for them to just adjust to NBA and great for coaches to evaluate players based on potential and development needs.

3. The suns become exciting to watch (debatable) so even if the losses pile up, the Suns somehow entertain fans.

4. Because Suns are on a rebuilding direction, an uptempo team usually boosts player numbers, which in turn drive up their worth. Good to show case everyone, so it appeals to teams who are looking for pieces to trade for.



With that said, out of the under 25 year olds... the twins have improved their physical forms... Bledsoe's physical form is elite already... Literally the guy would resemble LeBron James aesthetically if he was half a foot taller.


In summary, The coaching staff has the correct mix of situation to give Goodwin 15-20 minutes a game and make him play to learn and adjust.

[jcsunsfan]

Would you be happy w 45% fg and 34% 3pt fg shooting for Goodwin this year?

[Revived]

People are placing a ton of expectations on Goodwin and doing so prematurely. I too have expectations for him, but they are more tempered. I do not think he will be starting anytime soon.

First, I do not think the Suns are going to bench with Dragic or Bledsoe unless the duo cannot function together. Second, Goodwin is still physically immature (growing) and his game is somewhat immature. His game will mature with playing time, but his body will mature at its own rate independent of court time. Players who are immature physically generally cannot take the pounding of an NBA season and their long term health is better served if they are brought along a little more slowly.

I liken Goodwin's physical maturity to that of Kobe Bryant when he was a rookie in 96-97. Both exceptional athletes and a ton of potential, and both very young. Bryant was a rotational player but only averaged 15-16 minutes per game and only played about 70 games. This equated to about 1100 minutes for the season, which is equivalent to a college season on a good (tournament) team. Given the exceptional quality of the Suns Med staff and trainers, I suspect they will recommend that Goodwin has a similar rookie year - a rotational player who is around 1200 minutes for the year which would match a college season. It is a safe approach so he is not injured from too much stress of an NBA marathon season while he continues to grow and mature physically.

You do realize that Kobe not going to college probably had something to do with that right? Goodwin didn't come straight out of high school...he went to Kentucky for a year.

I would be happy with about 23 mins per game for Goodwin his rookie season while averaging something like 10 pts a game on 43%+ shooting from the field.

But of course, if Goodwin shows that he's not ready for the NBA yet, then I have no problem with the minutes being cut down a little more and him watching and learning.

[Revived]

Would you be happy w 45% fg and 34% 3pt fg shooting for Goodwin this year?

Hell yea. That's better than what Harden had his rookie season.

[JDLAW]

You do realize that Kobe not going to college probably had something to do with that right? Goodwin didn't come straight out of high school...he went to Kentucky for a year.

I would be happy with about 23 mins per game for Goodwin his rookie season while averaging something like 10 pts a game on 43%+ shooting from the field.

But of course, if Goodwin shows that he's not ready for the NBA yet, then I have no problem with the minutes being cut down a little more and him watching and learning.

Of course, I know he came directly from high school. You miss the point. They are both about the same age and physical maturity entering the NBA. Growing Bones and cartilage do not stabilize with a year's experience in college basketball. You should not over stress critical anatomical structures while still growing, it can lead to degenerative injuries. The concept is not different from young baseball pitchers that have limit on what type of and how many pitches they throw. Since no one knows exactly how much, if at all he is still growing or whether such things as his the articular cartilage in his knees has fully matured, it is best to control his time on the court the first year. I really do not see him playing 23-24 minutes per game on average for this reason and for the reason that his game is still immature.

[alldayeveryday]

Besides the comments on this article - I like the read.

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=137738

Glad to see a human being (put his professional agenda aside) help out another human being.

I'm sure we see something like this with professional athletes, I'm just glad it's someone from the Phoenix Suns.

[alldayeveryday]

Another video to watch: http://vaughtsviews.com/video-uktv-video-of-nerlens-noel-archie-goodwin-twany-beckham-and-julius-mays-press-conference-at-cal-procamp/

[Nebula1]

superstar

[Gorilla Warfare]

https://vine.co/v/hbtqzTJEZJx

Archie's sweet dunk at rookie photo day this morning.

[Revived]

https://vine.co/v/hbtqzTJEZJx

Archie's sweet dunk at rookie photo day this morning.

Looks so effortless.

[TASTIC]

I hope our boys put on a pregame dunk session like the Clips do.

Bledsoe, Green, Brown, Goodwin...Some big hops in those legs

[Fo-Real]

I hope our boys put on a pregame dunk session like the Clips do.

Bledsoe, Green, Brown, Goodwin...Some big hops in those legs

Pumlee!!

[b-ball forever]

The last time we got got a contestant into the the allstar dunk contest was Amare 2005, maybe we can get someone back in this year.

Cedric Ceballos was the last Suns winner at the dunk contest in 1992, beating Larry Johnson

[jcsunsfan]

The last time we got got a contestant into the the allstar dunk contest was Amare 2005, maybe we can get someone back in this year.

Cedric Ceballos was the last Suns winner at the dunk contest in 1992, beating Larry Johnson

Larry Nance won the first one.

[Zukkoyaki]

Apparently Archie was named "MVP of NBA's Rookie Transition Program" basically meaning he handled himself great and like a professional. Pretty cool!

[thamadkant]

I didn't know Goodwin made that comment about anyone in the Kentucky team being delusional if they think they are ready for the NBA.

Then declares...

Is frustrations with his team mates?

Is knowing he will have more competition next year?

Is it that he always wanted to be one and done and planned to do his development in the NBA?

[Revived]

Apparently Archie was named "MVP of NBA's Rookie Transition Program" basically meaning he handled himself great and like a professional. Pretty cool!

http://www.rantsports.com/nba/2013/08/0 ... n-program/

Love it. If Beasley is still kept on the roster, perhaps he can learn a thing or two from the rookie.

[gaspar]

Archie Goodwin Plans on Giving ‘Hell’ to Teams That Passed on Him | SLAM

After a so-so freshman season on an underachieving University of Kentucky team ended with him sliding to No. 29 in the 2013 NBA Draft, Phoenix Suns guard Archie Goodwin has a simple message for the League:

“It would have been great to have been drafted where I thought I should have been,” Goodwin told SLAM during last week’s Panini photo shoot portion of the Rookie Transition Program. “Now every team that didn’t pick me, I’ve got to give them hell.”

At only 18 years of age, Goodwin was not only the youngest player selected in this past June’s Draft but also, admittedly, one of the rawest. If Summer League in Las Vegas, where he averaged 13.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg, was an indicator, the native of Little Rock, AR, is on the way to shushing his detractors and backing up his bold words.

“The experience of playing with guys that had been [at Summer League] before really helped me,” said Goodwin. “I did pretty good. I did better than people thought I would do.”

Part of that had to do with what looked to be, forgive the small sample size, a revamped jump shot.

Best known as an elite athlete, in 33 games at Kentucky last season Goodwin shot 44 percent from the field and only hit 17 threes (27 percent). This past July, however, in seven Summer League games he accumulated 8 threes on 57 percent shooting.

“I’ve been working a lot on my shot, just getting it more consistent,” said Goodwin. “I just needed to be able to showcase my skills and showcase what I’ve been working on.”

With a strong summer behind him and a verbal promise from Coach Jeff Hornacek that he’s going to play right away on a rebuilding Suns team, Goodwin is poised to show his fellow rookies and the rest of the League that it’s not about where you start, but rather where you finish.

“I know a lot of guys in this [Draft] class are not better than me,” said Goodwin. “I’m blessed to even be here, but to see how far I slid down—it was a surprise. Every game I go into, I’m showing every team that didn’t pick me that they made a mistake.”

[thamadkant]

Suns passed on him at pick 5 also

But if he ever develops an obsessive work ethic... Wowee!