How the prospect is shaping Jordan Goodwin’s career year with the Suns

PHOENIX – Jordan Goodwin’s constant positivity and infectious energy make everyone around him wonder where he comes from.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I just wake up the same way every day, bro,” Phoenix Suns the guard said, laughing at ClutchPoints before Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards. “I have the best job ever playing basketball, so it’s easy to carry it every day. I’m always in a good mood.”

In a career season with Phoenix, he went from being the last player to make the active roster to being a key part of the rotation. He has been closing out games with the starting unit, which was proven against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 4th.

That confidence comes from accepting who he is. He wears his heart on his sleeve.

During his portion of pregame warmups, he talks trash with assistant coaches, cracks jokes with teammates and interacts with fans.

He may not have the star status of his teammate Devin Booker – but his impact has been felt since the start of the season – and more specifically in late 2024 and early 2025.

Although Goodwin has his super rebounding skills for the Sunsthere is much more beneath the surface. Behind the stoic demeanor is someone who appreciates lacing up his sneakers and being on the hardwood.

After all, head coach Jordan Ott was looking for guys with strong character and work ethic. Goodwin passed those with the best record.

But his product on the field has drawn attention for all the right reasons.

Suns teammates know how good Jordan Goodwin is

The underachieving player that Goodwin is is often lost in translation. They see his game on the field, but they think that’s all.

It’s a phoenix 5.5 points better when he is on the field. For someone who only plays 21.8 minutes per game, that’s an impressive number.

Going from the 15th player on the bench to the current sixth player in less than half a season is a real spectacle. But don’t take it from me. Take it from Oso Ighodar, who saw it up close.

“I’ve seen it since training camp and takeover, and he can really score the ball,” Ighodaro said during the Suns’ morning game before facing the New York Knicks.

“As an underdog, you might not see that every game. When it happens late in the game, none of us are surprised that he’s doing it. He’s an elite defender and rebounder. He does all the little things for us, but he’s also a really good offensive player that doesn’t always show it.”

In deciding to keep Goodwin on the active roster, most of the reasoning came down to his defense. He brings a spark and a toughness that is rare at his position.

The 6’3 guard plays much bigger than his size. A 15-rebound performance on New Year’s Eve – along with eight of those coming on the offensive glass – is sure to raise eyebrows.

In turn, the Sun were rewarded Goodwin at the end of the offensive. His career highs in three-pointers, attempts, and percentage are awarded to guys like Colin Gillespie.

“When he gets going offensively like that, you want to reward a guy like that for what he does for you every night on defense, especially if he’s not focused on having the ball.”

Collin Gillespie told me how he saw Jordan Goodwin embrace the right offensive option and close games with the starting unit.

“He brings it every night defensively. When he gets going offensively like that, you want to reward a guy like that for how much he does every … pic.twitter.com/4SKBOsZIpn

— Hayden Cilley (@HaidenCilley) January 9, 2026

“When he warms up, he’s a very good basketball player, and he can shoot. Anytime you see a guy like that, when he warms up and he’s confident, you obviously see that, so you just have to feed him.

Jordan Goodwin’s confidence is at an all-time high with the Suns

He had a lot of people in his corner. Booker, Ighodaro, Gillespie, Dillon Brooks, among others. Most importantly, head coach Jordan Ott instills that confidence in a rather unusual way.

Monitoring Goodwin’s career night for the Suns against the Thunder, he revealed that Ott would send him text messages to talk trash in order to fire him up. Much of that interaction stems from Goodwin’s upbringing and relationship with his brother.

The two are close, but the bromance was fueled by trash talk, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Years of constant chatter have raised a chip on his shoulder that he plays with.

It’s a mentality driven by the desire to prove everyone wrong. The doubters, the critics, and even the indifferent; no one is spared. But when that desire fades, it all goes back to where it all started.

“I mean, we’re still waking up, playing basketball. I’ve been playing the game my whole life, so I’m not going to sit here and complain,” Goodwin said. “I have to wake up and I’m just dribbling the basketball all around.

“That’s the easy part.”