Atlanta Hawks: Goals for Jaylen Adams in 2018-19

As we move ever closer to the preseason, let’s take a look at the goals for each player on the Atlanta Hawks as we head into the 2018-19 regular season.

The Atlanta Hawks signed Jaylen Adams not long after the 2018 NBA Draft was completed. Even though multiple high-level talents went undrafted, including favorites of mine such as Rawle Alkins, Trevon Duval and Malik Newman to name a few, the Hawks and General Manager Travis Schlenk opted to double down on their promise to add knockdown shooters to the roster after the addition of Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman (in order of their drafting).

Though Adams went undrafted, his shooting pedigree and proven production in college at St. Bonaventure proved attractive to the Hawks, who offered him one of the team’s 2 two-way contracts (the other went to Alex Poythress).

Let’s take a look at the goals for Adams next season.

First off, Adams must ensure he cuts down on his turnover numbers in the NBA, as he actually finished in the Top 6 in turnovers in each of his last 3 seasons in the A-10 conference. His NBA role will likely be limited to spot, third-string minutes behind Jeremy Lin and Trae Young, so committing lots of turnovers at the highest level is likely not his best career move.

Next, Adams must be able to balance the hefty travel schedule that comes with a two-way contract. Though it is most likely that he spends most of his time with the Erie BayHawks next season (the Atlanta Hawks G-League affiliate), he must be able to stay active and productive even being ferried about the country if the big club needs him to play.

Lastly, Adams will need to keep up that torrid long-range shooting he showed during his college career.

As a career 39.4 percent shooter from distance, which includes a 43.6 percent clip last year, Adams serves as an archetype for the high-quality shooter that Travis Schlenk clearly covets.

As long as he can knock down open threes at a decent clip, the Hawks will likely want to give him serious consideration for a guaranteed roster spot going forward.