I was under the impression that, with the acquisition of Jeff Teague, Brandon Goodwin would move firmly into the “third-string PG” role. That would only make sense, given that he only started getting primary backup PG minutes around the beginning of the year. It would also make sense, given that Teague has a pedigree as a longtime starter in this league and that he was coming back to the team that once made him an All-Star.
But Teague sucked this game and Goodwin was good. They got roughly equivalent minutes with Trae Young out: 27 minutes for Goodwin, 25 for Teague. Goodwin was 7-of-14 from the field for 21 points. Teague was 1-of-6 from the field for five points. Both players had four assists. Single-game plus/minus doesn’t mean a whole lot, but Teague’s was -17 while Goodwin’s was +10. Overall, this wasn’t a good look for Teague. And it was a very good look for Goodwin.
It it going to get to the point where Teague gets DNP’s like Evan Turner was getting. It very well could. Teague, while maybe a “fan favorite” in some perverted sense, is not showing up very much in the statsheet, and since that’s the only way I know how to evaluate players, I’m forced to conclude that he’s not really helping the Hawks right now. Plus he’s old and he’s at the end of his contract so he doesn’t need the minutes to develop. In fact, the more minutes you give him, the more he regresses, it seems like.
So, yeah. Goodwin should be the primary backup point guard from here on out. No doubt about it.