The Phoenix Suns had several players exceed expectations en route to the playoffs in 2025-26, but none more so than Jordan Goodwin.
While Mark Williams also deserves to be in the running for that award, his came relative to expectations as a result of injuries. For Goodwin, he went from a player the Suns had already given up on once before to a guy they simply had to have long-term.
Goodwin the perfect player to plug into any situation
As Phoenix found out by having Goodwin back on their roster having traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies in the past (he also excelled with the Los Angeles Lakers), the 27-year-old could do whatever the franchise needed of him on any given night.
You need him to start 10-of-70 games and play over 22 minutes each night? No problem. For the games when Collin Gillespie's lack of height was getting exposed, Goodwin was the ideal floor general to come in and give the Suns better balance on both ends of the court.
Number 10 -Â Jamaree Bouyea took his NBA career off life support
Number 9 -Â Brian Gregory banished the 'Michigan Guy' tag
Number 8 -Â Grayson Allen finally fulfilled his destiny in Phoenix
Number 7Â -Â Jordan Ott came along at the perfect time for the Suns
Number 6 -Â Oso Ighodaro finally found his groove in Phoenix
Number 5 - Mark Williams won't be appearing here again
An unexpected bonus of having him in the rotation was how he and Jamaree Bouyea were able to play alongside each other and defensively handle much bigger, elite scorers. Invaluable when you've also got Devin Booker out there, and perhaps a sign of things to come with Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale having been traded.
Taking a career high 4.3 attempts from deep and converting on over 37 percent of them ensured the court remained spaced while Goodwin was out there, and his ability to control the tempo was a massive plus.
Goodwin plays at his own speed, a rare quality given he was running out of chances to be a real contributor in this league.
The Grizzlies looked to have gotten the best out of him when he played 17 games and a shade under 30 minutes a night and had career highs in most statistical categories (as well as 12 starts). That wasn't deemed good enough, and neither was being the ultimate energy guy off the bench for the Lakers.
But it was Phoenix and last season where Goodwin put it all together and ensured he was brought back on a three-year, $19 million deal that gives him financial security and a player option in that third year if he wants to back himself and try for more money elsewhere.
Considering cap space was at a premium for the Suns, Goodwin getting any of it to come back shows you how good a year he had.
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