Archie Goodwin Named NBA D-League Showcase Cup Championship MVP

Phoenix Suns guard Archie Goodwin has been on assignment with the Bakersfield Jam over the past week, in order to get some playing time and help the Jam compete in the first ever D-League Showcase Cup Championship Tournament.

Archie competed in a total of three games for Bakersfield, scoring 24, 24, and 22 points, respectively.

In today's game, Goodwin had a rough start, and was very quiet for the first three quarters as the Grand Rapids Drive closed his driving lanes and forced him to take shots from outside, which he was unable to convert.  Archie went 0-3 from beyond the arc, and was noticeably frustrated with his inability to get to the basket and score early on.

Then, as Bakersfield fell behind by around 10 points in the late third quarter, Goodwin started making an impact.  He became more opportunistic in his scoring, looking for loose balls, rebounds, and steals to get to the basket instead of being the primary option when the defense was set up.

There was a bit of a scare at one point as Archie went down hard on his elbow and was noticeably bothered by it, though he never had to leave the game so it appears that all is well...whew.

Archie played great defense down the stretch, and helped turn the game around late in the fourth by forcing steals that he either converted for baskets or free throws at the other end.  In all, Goodwin scored 13 of his 22 points in the 4th quarter and was the driving force leading the Jam to the first mid-season D-League championship.  

He ended up with 22 points on 7/18 shooting from the field and 8/12 from the free throw line.  He also grabbed 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and dished out 1 assist in his 31 minutes of play.

After the game, Archie was recognized by the coach of the Jam and awarded the MVP of the D-League Showcase Championship.

Way to go Archie!