Analyzing the Trades Part 2

Archie Goodwin to the Phoenix Suns

In a bit of a surprise to many people, Archie Goodwin got drafted in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft. This trade did not include nearly as much drama as the trade for Nerlens Noel did. Namely because this trade only involved the Suns moving up one pick from the 30th pick to the 29th.

There was a lot of wheeling and dealing involved in the Suns ending up with the pick, but in the end, the Suns got Archie Goodwin and it didn't cost them much (taking on a sub $1 million dollar contract for one year) since they were moving up only one spot. In this post I'll talk more about what the pick means for Goodwin.



As we all know, Goodwin was the leading scorer on a team that did fairly poorly in getting only to the NIT. But there was a lot of talk approaching the draft about Goodwin being uncoachable and how he could not shoot the three. Anyone who has seen him take a jump shot can easily see that his shot is way too flat. This makes his jump shot percentage and his free throw percentage suffer. And after a year under one of the best coaches in the NCAA, Goodwin improved almost none.

Because of these criticisms, most mock drafts had Goodwin going in the early to mid second round. Not many predicted for him to go in the first round. For someone who was once predicted to possibly go in the lottery, that was a huge blow.

Goodwin didn't help himself with his poor performance in the NBA combine. He was hoping to improve his stock at the event but instead he only hurt it with his poor shooting only getting worse with his seeming lack of confidence.

But in the end, Goodwin got out into a good situation. The Phoenix Suns are a team without a star, particularly at the shooting guard position. They have a few veterans in PJ Tucker and Shannon Brown, but nobody that shouldn't need to fight for a starting job or even a backup job.

Before the draft, most people, including myself, thought that Goodwin was destined to spend a year or two in the NBA D-League. As the youngest American in the draft, Goodwin could very well end up there for a couple years. He has a ton of potential but has not capitalized on much of it yet. But without any true starters in front of him, Goodwin could potentially battle for a backup 2 spot, and even a starting job in a few years. We'll see how and if he achieves his potential.

Ev'ry Wildcat Star will shine