National Basketball Association

Archie Goodwin comes to the New Orleans Pelicans with untapped potential

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After balking at the opportunity to guarantee an injured Lance Stephenson’s deal, the New Orleans Pelicans have found his replacement in former first-round pick Archie Goodwin.

After the news of combo guard Lance Stephenson going down with a groin injury and an indefinite recovery period, the New Orleans Pelicans took no time in finding his replacement. The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a 2-year contract with former Suns SG Archie Goodwin according to Shams Charania of the Vertical:

The Pelicans needed to maintain depth along the wings and add a potential ball-handler to spell Tim Frazier and Langston Galloway like Lance often did. Goodwin exhibits quality traits as a super athlete with his explosive dunks and rare athleticism for a combo guard. Below is a great example of what he can add to the Pelicans’ guard rotation:

Archie is a great dunker, and brings out a crowd’s excitement every time he steps on the court.

During his career with the Phoenix Suns, Archie averaged 6.2 PPG, 1.2 AST and 1.3 TOPG. While those stats aren’t numbers to drool over, Archie did show a bit in the positive direction towards the end of last season, due to the injuries to point guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight.

The issue with Archie is that he has yet to develop a consistent shot. Though his 3-point shot is improving, it has to be more consistent, especially in a Pelicans offense where versatility and scoring ability are valued at every position.

Below is a clip of him playing against the Pels last April, in a game in which he dropped 24 points:

Archie’s potential is enormous. If he hones his skills as an effective two-way guard, the possibilities are exciting.

The Pelicans need him to be a dynamo off the bench to spell E’Twaun and Buddy Hield in small bursts of minutes. With Lance gone, and Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter still not available to suit up, Goodwin becomes a key part of the personnel group not just in the present, but for the future as well.

It will be interesting to see how Goodwin fits in the rotation, and to watch his development throughout the rest of the season. Either way, Archie has given us a dose of excitement and athleticism at the shooting guard spot that has been absent from that revolving door for too long.