Atlanta Hawks: Grading Brandon Goodwin’s end of contract season

The Atlanta Hawks had an interesting time with the backup point guard position during the 2020-21 season. They signed Rajon Rondo to a two-year deal in the offseason which was an attempt to fix the offense when Young sat. This did not work and therefore Rondo was traded.

Before Rondo was traded, Brandon Goodwin had already gone past him in the rotation, showing how bad a fit Rondo was with the team. However, one thing Rondo did do was impart some veteran knowledge to Goodwin, which is something that Goodwin has missed prior to this season.

Goodwin’s production was affected this season by the addition of the veterans the Hawks signed over the offseason. He averaged 4.9 points, 2.0 assists, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.4 steals in 13.2 minutes per game, with more than ten of his 47 games being junk time.

The Atlanta Hawks should view Brandon Goodwin as a long term proposition

Goodwin had some really good games this season, most of which occurred when the team needed him the most. It was incredible to see the difference in confidence between the games where Goodwin started and when he came on the court as part of the rotation.

When Goodwin was called upon to run the team with all other alternatives were exhausted, he was a totally different player. If coach Nate McMillan can find a way to harness this and use it every single game, then he has a chance to be a solid rotation piece. It is going to take some time but there is a good chance it will be worth it.