Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick shared some good news regarding Jordan Goodwin’s ankle injury in his press conference before Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Redick revealed that Goodwin suffered a Grade 1 ankle sprain and had a hilarious response when asked to explain what that was.
“There’s three grades, Grade 3 is bad,” Redick said. “So, Grade 1 would be the best version of an ankle sprain. It’s like the best version of a bad thing.”
That is definitely the best version. Goodwin rolled his ankle in the Lakers’ 106-102 win over the Clippers on Friday and was unable to play a single minute in the fourth quarter. There were fears that the 26-year-old might be out for a while, but he should be back soon enough.
That’s great news for Goodwin and the Lakers, considering how well he had been playing since signing a two-way deal on February 7. He has been pretty good defensively and brings a lot of energy on the court as well.
Redick certainly had been very impressed by what he had seen from Goodwin, who went undrafted in 2021. In his press conference after Friday’s win over the Clippers, he stated that the guard was going to be part of the rotation moving forward.
Redick’s comments suggest that Goodwin, who is averaging 6.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25, should expect to get a standard contract from the Lakers soon enough. The reason for that is players on two-way deals aren’t eligible to play in the postseason.
If the Lakers view Goodwin as a key rotational piece, they’d want him out on the court in the playoffs. He won’t be playing big minutes, but he could certainly make an impact with his energy and defense when called upon.
The Lakers weren’t able to call on Goodwin in Sunday’s game against the Clippers due to his injury, but they still came away with a 108-102 win to improve to 38-21 on the season. It was their 16th victory in the last 19 games, and they have now won six in a row.
What was so impressive about this latest win was that the Lakers were not just without Goodwin but also Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. Hachimura has been sidelined by left patellar tendinopathy, while Reaves suffered a calf strain in Friday’s win over the Clippers.
Redick shared an update on Reaves in his pregame press conference, too, as he stated there was no structural or muscular damage to the calf. Like Goodwin, he should be back soon enough.
The Lakers are in action next against the lowly New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday at 10:30 PM ET. You shouldn’t expect either of the two to feature in that contest, as the Lakers would likely err on the side of caution, considering they’re not exactly facing a juggernaut.
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