PHOENIX– Jordan Goodwin's perpetual positivity and contagious energy make everyone around him wonder where it comes from.
“Honestly, I don't know. I just wake up the same way every day, bro,” the Phoenix Suns guard said, while chuckling to ClutchPoints before Sunday's game against the Washington Wizards. “I've got the best job ever playing basketball, so it's kind of easy to bring it every day. I'm always in a good mood.”
In a career season with Phoenix, he emerged from being the final player to make the active roster to a key piece of the rotation. He's been closing out games with the starting unit, as evidenced against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 4.
That trust comes from embracing who he is. He wears his heart on his sleeve.
During his portion of pregame warmups, he's trash-talking with assistant coaches, cracking jokes with teammates, and interacting with the fans.
He may not have the star status like his teammate Devin Booker–but his impact has been felt since the start of the season–and more specifically towards the end of 2024 and start of 2025.
Even though Goodwin has his rebounding super skill for the Suns, there's so much more beneath the surface. Behind the stoic demeanor comes someone with an appreciation for lacing up his sneakers and being out on the hardwood.
After all, head coach Jordan Ott searched for guys who have strong character and work ethic. Goodwin has passed those with flying colors.
But his on-the-court product has garnered attention for all the right reasons.
Suns teammates know how good Jordan Goodwin is
The scrappy, lose-ball diving, and gritty player that Goodwin is, is often lost in translation. They see his play on the court but think that's all it is.
Phoenix is 5.5 points better when he is on the court. For someone only playing 21.8 minutes per game, that's an impressive metric.
Emerging from the 15th player on the bench to the current sixth man in less than half a season is quite the spectacle. But don't take it from me. Take it from Oso Ighodaro, who has seen it up close.
“I've been seeing it since training camp and the pickup, and he can really score the ball,” Ighodaro said during the Suns' morning shootaround before facing the New York Knicks.
“As an outsider, you might not see that every game. When that happens late in the game, none of us are surprised that he's doing it. He's an elite defender and rebounder. Does all the little things for us, but he's also a really good offensive player that doesn't always get to show that.”
When deciding on keeping Goodwin on the active roster, the majority of the reasoning came down to his defense. He brings a spark and toughness that not many do at his position.
The 6'3 guard plays way bigger than his size. Having a 15-rebound performance on New Year's Eve– along with eight of those coming on the offensive glass– is sure to raise some eyebrows.
In turn, the Suns have been rewarding Goodwin on the offensive end. A career-high in 3-pointers made, attempted, and percentage have guys like Collin Gillespie rewarding him.
“When he gets it going like that offensively, you want to reward a guy like that for how much he does for you every night defensively, especially with how much he doesn't really focus on having the ball.
Collin Gillespie told me how he’s seen Jordan Goodwin embrace being true offensive option and closing games with the starting unit.
“He brings it every night defensively. When he gets going like that offensively, you want to reward a guy like that for how much he does every… pic.twitter.com/4SKBOsZIpn
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) January 9, 2026
“When he gets hot, he's a very good basketball player, and he can shoot the s**t out of it. Whenever you see a guy like that, once he gets hot and he's confident, obviously you see that, so you kind of just gotta feed him.
Jordan Goodwin's confidence is at an all-time high with the Suns
He's had a multitude 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.
Following Goodwin's career night for the Suns against the Thunder, he revealed that Ott will send him text messages to talk trash to fire him up. Much of those interactions comes from Goodwin's upbringing and relationship with his brother.
The two are close, but the brotherhood was fueled with trash-talk, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The years of constant chatter grew a chip on his shoulder that he plays with.
It's a mentality driven by wanting to prove everyone wrong. The doubters, critics, and even the indifferent; no one is spared. But when that desire fades, everything circles back to where it all started.
“I mean, we still wake up, play basketball. I've played the game my whole life, so I'm not about to sit here and complain,” Goodwin said. “I get to wake up and just go dribble a basketball all around.
“That's the easiest part.”
