Jordan Goodwin proves his value despite playing under a minute v Hawks

During the matchup between the Washington Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks Jordan Goodwin only touched the floor for under a minute. This didn’t stop him from showing his value to all who watched as he was mic’d up for NBCS-DC.

While he may not have brought any value to the floor other than a plan to intentionally foul, he did bring a lot to the bench. Every time he was shown, he was cheering on his teammates and having a good time. He could be seen cheering, laughing amongst teammates and staff, and even encouraging the Hawks to challenge a call that would eventually be an unsuccessful challenge.

This is something that is incredibly underrated when it comes to building teams. It is a reason that some trades are made and has also impacted teams in great ways.

One of the greatest ways to tell the difference between a contending team and a pretending team is their attitude on the bench and how much fun they are having.  If the bench is overall laughing and having fun while also taking the game seriously, it is a great sign for that team. We saw it with Gary Payton II last season and numerous players this season as well.

Jordan Goodwin is the ultimate glue guy for this team, and he proves it on a nightly basis. He needs to be kept around for a long time.

Even when he plays, Jordan Goodwin’s impact on the team is incredible.

Jordan Goodwin is well renowned for his two-way play and has altered numerous games for the Wizards. He is a scrappy defender who can also dish the rock and is a 37% three-point shooter.

His defense is just flat out elite on the perimeter, he times everything perfectly and his hand placement is almost always perfect. For a player who is six-foot three to average a steal and half a block in only 18 minutes per game is just impressive. Plain and simple.

He brings a level of energy that no other player on the Wizards does, even huge impact players like Daniel Gafford and Delon Wright. When he is on the floor, everybody plays harder, and it shows in the advanced stats.

Despite often playing in place of an injured Delon Wright or Monte Morris, Jordan Goodwin is a plus on the floor and even has a positive box plus/minus. He mostly sees his positive advanced stats on the defensive end, even though the Wizards are a subpar defensive team. This just goes to show how valuable he is as a defender.

If the Washington Wizards were to reconstruct the roster, either by rebuilding, or by trying to bulk up and compete, Jordan Goodwin needs to be a key part of the rotation. His defense is too great to let him waste his youth on the bench.