Developing The Younger Players
Of course, even if Goodwin really can’t offer more to the Suns’ playoff push, there’s still a very strong case for him to be getting minutes over the struggling Gerald Green. The front office has said many times it’s not about making the playoffs this year as the eighth seed; it’s about building a championship culture.
Playing the youngsters — Goodwin and T.J. Warren — is the best way for to put that long-term plan into action. The Suns are going to have a hard time making the postseason as it is, so why not let Goodwin and Warren get their shot, especially since they’ve looked so promising in their limited minutes?
After the trade deadline, it appeared Goodwin and Warren would get their chances. But after averaging 17.3 minutes per game in his first three games following the deadline, Goodwin’s playing time has dropped to 8.0 minutes per game, including one “DNP.” Warren’s opportunities have also been more limited than fans would like to see.
We're well past the point of me wanting to see Gerald Green take minutes from Archie Goodwin.
— Scott Howard (@ScottHoward42) March 1, 2015
The young guys are going to make mistakes, and those mistakes could drop Phoenix further out of the playoff race. But Green on a short leash hasn’t been effective and has become an uncomfortable situation. The reason he was so effective last season was Hornacek didn’t try to contain him, but rather, unleashed him. He let him make mistakes and take bad shots, taking the good with the bad.
But now, for a team chasing one of the West’s final playoff spots, those poor decisions have become less tolerable. If Green is going to get yanked out of the game for making mistakes, why not at least let the younger, long-term pieces get those minutes and make those same mistakes?
Next: Free Agency