The Phoenix Suns may have overachieved in plenty of ways during the 2025-26 season, still, overachieving doesn’t automatically translate to end-of-season recognition. That’s just the reality of how awards work now.
Because of the NBA’s 65 game eligibility rule, Phoenix had a very limited pool of players even eligible for postseason honors. Only Oso Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie, Royce O’Neale, Jordan Goodwin, and Ryan Dunn played in 70 or more games and qualified. So when the NBA released its All-Defensive
teams aon May 22, you already knew Phoenix wasn’t going to have much representation.
Someone like Dillon Brooks never really had a chance to be part of the conversation. Brooks played in 56 games, leaving him short of eligibility despite the kind of defensive season that absolutely would’ve warranted attention had he reached the threshold.
But what about Jordan Goodwin? That’s where the conversation gets interesting.
After all, he was one of the better defensive guards in basketball this season. He finished sixth among guards in offensive rebounds per game and seventh among guards in steals. His 110.1 defensive rating speaks for itself. When you isolate rebounding alone, you can absolutely make the argument that no guard in the NBA impacted the glass the way Goodwin did.
Which makes his absence from the All-Defensive voting feel a little perplexing. Not shocking. Perplexing.
When awards voting rolls around, players on national television every week and players with bigger names tend to dominate the conversation. That’s the reality of it. Goodwin spent the year doing a lot of the dirty work that wins games and changes possessions without necessarily creating the kind of headlines that drive national narratives.
Still, not receiving a single vote feels surprising. Especially when you watched him night after night. You saw the hands. The point of attack defense. The rebounding. The hustle plays that turned into extra possessions. The way he consistently made life uncomfortable for opposing guards. The value was obvious in Phoenix.
It’s a question that fellow teammate Collin Gillespie asked via Twitter.
Side note, I do love seeing that kind of support. It’s one of those little things that gives you more confidence heading into the offseason that the Phoenix Suns are going to do everything they can to retain both of these players. Because they’re exactly the kind of depth pieces you want around your core.
I do wonder why, in this day and age of award oversaturation, there are only two All Defensive teams. Why not three? There are three All NBA teams. It feels like another opportunity to recognize players who lean into the unsexy side of basketball and make a real impact doing it.
I also have an issue with the fact that there were three centers on the All Defensive First Team. Maybe that’s the traditional structure. I still don’t love it.
Personal qualms with the NBA award structure aside, there is one potentially positive thing to take from all of this. Had Jordan Goodwin received recognition, it probably would have driven his price up this offseason. For a team towing the luxury tax line, every dollar matters, and if Goodwin had picked up a few votes, it absolutely would have strengthened his case for more money.
And yeah, there’s something kind of sad about that. You catch yourself quietly rooting for a player not to receive recognition because it could help your team financially. That probably says more about the state of the NBA than anything else.
I’ll cool my jets before I spiral into a larger conversation on the league’s philosophical shortcomings, and there are plenty.
I’ll simply end here. I appreciated everything Jordan Goodwin brought to Phoenix this season. He won the Marley Hustle Award, easily outplayed the value of his contract, and became the personification of a team that competed with grit, connectivity, and attitude.
He’s a keeper.
