Atlanta Hawks: 3 Goals for Alex Poythress 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.

As the Atlanta Hawks plunge into one of the biggest rebuilds in franchise history, the team should be willing to take a look at all players they can carve out a place in the remaking of this franchise. From forgotten young lottery talent to over-performing G-League stars, the Hawks are making sure to take as many chances as possible and hoping to hit the lottery.

Speaking of G-League stars, the Hawks have tried to find their diamond in the rough from Quinn Cook, to Andrew White III to Jaylen Adams. Now, Alex Poythress seems next in line to try and carve out a role in the NBA.

Goal #1: Use up all of the NBA time in your two-way contract

Two-Way contracts were new to the NBA last season and they give the chance for a G-League player to spend up to a maximum of 45 days in the NBA. For more in-depth analysis on two contracts, here is a nice little article explaining the intricacies.

Poythress happens to be on a Two-Way contract with the Atlanta Hawks and his first and most important goal is pretty obvious. Make sure the Hawks have to use you for those 45 days. When Poythress gets his chance to play in meaningful games, whether it be from injury somewhere else on the roster (knock on wood), or he’s just dominating in the G-League, he needs to contribute and make the most of his minutes on the court.

Goal #2: Develop a valuable skill

G-League players that come into the NBA and stay there almost always have a certain skill that they bring to the table. Whether it’s defending the perimeter or shooting from distance, guys like Robert Covington and Seth Curry made sure they didn’t have the “jack of all trades, master of none” label that makes G-League players just less valuable than NBA players who have far more experience.

Poythress was a 4-year, 62-game starter for Kentucky but never did one thing too well. He is just plainly not a shooter never averaging more than 0.9 attempts a game from 3 while also never putting up gaudy rebounding, block or steal totals.

He is also rather slight relative to his position, weighing around 238 pounds and standing 6-foot-7. If he could defend all 5 positions or shoot, he could be a valuable small-ball 4 or 5. Acquiring just a single bankable skill would already give Alex a major step forward in his pursuit of an NBA career.

Goal #3: Increase your social media presence and endear yourself to fans

This is way more of an ambiguous off-court goal than the other 2, but one of the easiest things a player can do to add importance and brand recognition is just having fun and interacting with the fans.

Guys that tweet, make jokes and show their face enough can grow some clout with their fans and add on small things that might make it harder for the Hawks to keep him in the G-League or getting rid of him. Every little thing counts when you’re in such a high stake league like the NBA so why not have a little more fun on social media?

Alex Poythress has the chance to be a nice steal for the Atlanta Hawks and if he can try and complete these goals, then maybe he can be in the Dirty South for a long time.