The Los Angeles Lakers have a relatively solidified eight-man rotation as they head into the stretch run of the season. Head coach JJ Redick has his starting lineup and three solid bench players in Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith. In the postseason, an eight-man rotation might be all L.A. needs, but if they were to turn to a ninth, it’s starting to appear that it could be Jordan Goodwin.
The Lakers signed Goodwin to a two-way contract on Feb. 7, and in eight games, he has become an integral part of what the team has accomplished. The stats are not eye-popping by any means, but he has brought energy and defense while the Lakers have completely reshaped their defensive schemes to become the best team in the league on that end of the floor.
And while Goodwin is currently on a two-way contract, he could soon be converted a standard deal in order to make him playoff eligible. Regardless, Redick foresees him becoming the ninth man in the rotation moving forward.
“We’ve had a number of guys, you know, cycle through two-way contracts since the start of camp,” Redick said. “And I think, you know, Christian (Koloko) has really done well in that role, particularly with the layoff, and then to get Goody, who, you know, we kind of foresee just being a part of the rotation, and obviously we have to manage his games Trey as well. But those guys are just professionals, and a lot of times, with two ways, you can sort of err on the side of youth and development, and I think there’s a lot of merit and a lot of value in that Trey and Goodwin are older players by two-way standards. And so be able to have them both with experience and both having been in the league now for a couple years longer than that, but they know how to play and they can they can contribute to winning.”
Goodwin, like Redick says, is one of several successful Lakers two-way signings this season, along with Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison. But Goodwin is the true standout, as is the likeliest to get the standard contract and become postseason-eligible.
He may not play much when the postseason comes around, but a ninth man capable of getting stops and always being in the right place on the defensive end is a huge ancillary piece to have.
Luka Doncic credits second unit for Lakers’ latest win
The Lakers played a hard-fought, wire-to-wire game against one of the top six teams in the Western Conference in the L.A. Clippers and walked away with a 106-102 victory. It was the fifth win in a row for the Lakers.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James led the way in the box score. But the Lakers would not have been able to win without the contributions of players like Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin and Trey Jemison. That four-man bench unit were all a plus-11 or better for the night, bringing an undeniable energy and physicality to a game that the Lakers desperately needed it.
Doncic gave all the credit to James’ work with that four-man unit for helping the Lakers scrape together a victory on Friday.
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