2. Archie Goodwin
Goodwin should be ahead of Booker in the rotation right now, but that could easily change depending on what happens in Summer League and training camp. At age 20, Goodwin is still incredibly young. Even better, he’s heading into his third NBA season already. But with the arrival of a three-point sniper like Booker, the pressure is on for Goodwin to keep his minutes.
Phoenix has seen plenty of flashes of brilliance in Goodwin’s first two seasons. There was his regular season finale in 2013-14, when he put up 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting. There was the time he baptized Jonas Valanciunas. And there was that clutch performance that kept Phoenix’s playoff hopes on life support when he scored five huge crunch-time points in a big home win over the Dallas Mavericks.
But consistency has been a problem for Goodwin, even if his minutes have similarly fluctuated all over the map. His defense and his perimeter shot still need work, and from most people’s perspective, Goodwin still seems like a raw player who has definite areas where he needs to improve, much like he did two years ago when he was still a rookie.
Goodwin lit it up in nine appearances for Bakersfield this season, averaging 22.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. But other than that, Goodwin hasn’t gotten his opportunity to show the world what he can do. With Booker hot on his heels for minutes, this is Archie’s best chance to prove he’s ready for a breakthrough season. It starts in Summer League.
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