With the start of the 2021-22 NBA season looming, the Boston Celtics are working to fill the final spots on their training camp roster. To that end, the team has held a number of workouts with players from around the globe.
Per a September 17 report from Forbes’ Chris Grenham, former Atlanta Hawks point guard Brandon Goodwin was among those to have auditioned for Celtics brass in the last week. And while the 25-year-old hasn’t been signed as of this writing, there is reportedly a level of mutual interest.
“There is no training camp agreement between Boston and Goodwin yet,” Grenham wrote. “But there is interest from both sides.”
Goodwin appeared in 47 games with the Hawks last season, putting up 4.9 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per contest.
Overcoming Adversity
Standing at just over six feet tall and tipping the scales at 180 pounds, Goodwin doesn’t exactly possess the ideal NBA body. However, the Norcross, Georgia product has been bucking the odds for some time. As relayed by CBS Sports, he was often getting himself into trouble as a kid; that trouble followed him to college.
After failing to draw major interest from college basketball’s top programs, Goodwin ultimately committed to UCF. However, during his freshman year with the Knights, he stole an unlocked back off of a rack on campus. He ultimately returned the bike to a different rack but it had actually been a “bait bike” placed there by police.
Consequently, he was found guilty of petty theft.
He later elected to transfer to Florida Gulf Coast for a fresh start and became a star in the process. As a junior, he led his school to an NCAA Tournament berth. The following year, he was named the Atlantic Sun Conference’s Player of the Year for 2018 after logging a 19-6-5 line.
However, his small-school success didn’t catch the eye of NBA scouts initially; he went undrafted that summer.
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Goodwin’s NBA Journey
Goodwin ultimately caught on with the Denver Nuggets as a two-way player after an impressive summer league run with the Memphis Grizzlies turned into a G League deal and show-out effort with the Hustle. However, he would only appear in 16 games for Denver, struggling mightily to find the net in garbage-time minutes.
He would repeat his summer stardom with Denver in 2019, which helped him land a two-way deal with Atlanta. Eventually, his contract was converted to a standard, multi-year pact. Over his two years with the Hawks, he averaged 5.4 points, 1.8 assists and 1.7 rebounds per contest.
Goodwin has impressed with his energy and effort level on the court. However, he has yet to show that he can keep defenses honest from behind the arc, connecting on just 30.6% of his triples as a pro. Moreover, his diminutive nature could preclude him from being effective at the hoop as well.
Last season, Goodwin hit pay dirt just 48.1% of the time on shots within three feet of the basket.
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Celtics Worked Out Former Hawks Guard: Report