Goodwin Works Out for Nets, Says Kentucky is ‘National Championship Contender’ Next Season
By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Kentucky freshman Archie Goodwin isn’t the first player to point out how well Wildcats head coach John Calipari prepares his players for the NBA, he is merely the latest despite playing just one year in Lexington.
“It definitely helped me because he expects so much from his guys,” Goodwin said after working out for the Nets at PNY Center on Wednesday morning. “All the things he put us through during the year really helped me to transition from there to here. He’s a big factor. He talks to guys all the time for me, stays in their ear. He’s always a constant, nagging gnat towards these GMs in letting them know about me, so I appreciate him for that.”
A 6-foot-5, 189-pound shooting guard, Goodwin averaged a team-high 14.1 points while starting all 33 games for the 21-12 Wildcats, who lost in the first round of the NIT at Robert Morris. He declared for the NBA Draft on April 1 and is currently slotted as the No. 39 overall pick by DraftExpress.
The Nets own the No. 22 pick in the draft, but do not currently have a second-round pick.
A veteran NBA scout told SNY.tv Wednesday morning he would draft Goodwin, “second round, 35-45.”
“He’s very talented, very young, he can really run the floor, has long arms and is a good driver,” the scout told SNY.tv. “His jumper needs a lot of work and he has a long, hard road ahead of him. He will have to be mentally tough. He chose to play against men rather than boys. Stay tuned.”