Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Goodwin won a dominant preseason matchup.
The Los Angeles Lakers made a number of changes to their roster this offseason, including parting ways with Jordan Goodwin.
The soon-to-be 27-year-old guard has since signed with the Phoenix Suns. Since then, Goodwin claims he has grown as a player.
He proved that with a win over Devin Booker in the preseason. Goodwin continued his excellent form against his former team in a recent preseason match.
The Lakers suffered from Goodwin’s 24-point performance, and his replacement, Marcus Smart, finished the night with zero points.
After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke candidly about Goodwin’s impressive performance in the 113-104 loss.
“I don’t know how much I can say about that because of the nature of how things played out this summer, but I loved Goody and I loved coaching him,” Reddick said after the game.
He added, “To me, he’s an NBA player and I think every coach in the league would want a player like him. No nonsense, plays hard and is a great teammate.”
Goodwin may not score more than 20 points every night during the regular season, but the qualities Redick mentioned will make him a key member of the Suns.
Redick coached Goodwin for just 29 games in 2024-25, but he still speaks highly of him. why? He also does simple things for the team.
“As a teammate, he does all the things that are probably hard to ask a player to do because it’s not glamorous and he just accepts it,” Reddick continued.
“I’ve watched him play enough, I’ve watched him as a coach, I’ve seen him before. I’m not surprised he was able to have a really strong offensive night,” he concluded.
The Suns improved their preseason record to 3-1 heading into the regular season. On the other hand, the Lakers lost to 1 win and 3 losses.