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With Kilpatrick down, expect Goodwin and McDaniels to get minutes

NBA: Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Kilpatrick is out Thursday vs. the Knicks and maybe “out a little bit” after that as Kenny Atkinson said on WFAN Wednesday. He suffered a strained hamstring vs. the Thunder. So who’s getting the minutes? Atkinson says expect the two newest Nets to see more of the court.

“Expect him to get in there,” Atkinson said of Archie Goodwin, signed to a 10-day Wednesday. “K.J. McDaniels, too. With Sean going out, that will give us a chance to look at him, young athlete. Again, these are guys who we think can fit our culture.”

Goodwin, the former Kentucky Wildcat is the 15th man for the Brooklyn Nets, but isn’t likely to see duty vs. the Knicks. He’s barely practiced. Expect to see him maybe vs. the Celtics or Mavericks.

Atkinson thinks there’s potential there, telling Evan Roberts, he’s “young athletic, big time upside. He's capable but still baby faced. He's the type of guy we are trying to get a feel for.”

“He’s the profile we’re looking for: young, talented, hasn’t found his footing in the league yet – a great job by Sean (Marks) and Trajan (Langdon) to bring in another guy we can look at.”

The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder has demonstrated the ability to attack the basket and score from either guard spot, mostly at the two. His three point shooting has yet to develop, however.

His best season was last year where he played a career-high 19.5 minutes through 57 games played, 13 of which were starts. Goodwin posted 8.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest. Atkinson took note of a particular 24-point display against his Hawks while last January, one of eight 20+ point outings last season.

Atkinson’s attention about Goodwin’s resume, along with his athleticism, upside, youth, scoring or defending ability, is Goodwin’s background in football.

…As a quarterback, no less.

“The first thing I like is that he was a quarterback in high school,” Atkinson offered of his newest project. “He was either All-State or won a State Championship I’m not sure, but he told me.”

Goodwin had played three games earlier this season with the New Orleans Pelicans, which included a seven-point performance against the Lakers, and an eight-point drop-off in a win over Boston.

Although Goodwin is only signed on a 10-day deal, Atkinson talked about possibly bringing him this summer.

“We can potentially build with him in the summer and see if we have something there,” offered the first-year head coach. “I think he’s got to get his feet under him and hopefully in this 10-day period we do get a look at him, probably not the first game. Hopefully he gets a few practices under his belt so we can throw him in against the Celtics or Mavs and see where he is.”

As for Goodwin’s position, he is listed as a shooting guard, however, he’s got some point guard experience in his NBA past. .

“I think he can play both – I’m anxious to see for myself,” Atkinson said with a smile. “I know he’s a talented athlete, and that’s important. That’s one of the areas we’ve got to improve. We have to be more athletic.”

McDaniels, acquired from Houston for $75,000 at the deadline, is a bit like Goodwin, other than he has a $3.5 million team option next year. Expect Atkinson to give him the green light from deep.

“To get a free shot at a guy like K.J. that other teams have liked around the league for whatever reason, we’re lucky enough that he fell in our lap,’’ Atkinson said when he was acquired. “His athleticism, his ability to finish at the rim, how hard he plays defensively, he can be a good fit for us. I’m excited for him.”