Atlanta Hawks: 3 Goals for Brandon Goodwin in 2019-20 Season
By Chris Guest
Our Soaring Down South Player Goals series continues with goals for new Atlanta Hawks point guard Brandon Goodwin.
The Atlanta Hawks acquired Brandon Goodwin this offseason after his two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets ran out this offseason. Goodwin saw action in only 16 games last season playing a total of 57 minutes.
That was to be expected, however, as Goodwin was the team’s third-string point guard behind Jamal Murray and Monte Morris. Combine that with the fact that Nikola Jokic is often going to have the ball in his hands and there just wasn’t enough ball to go around for Goodwin to truly express himself on the court.
Read on to explore Goodwin’s goals for the 2019-20 season with the Hawks.
Cement Status as Primary Backup to Trae Young
Behind Trae Young, the Atlanta Hawks actually don’t have a secondary point guard on the roster. Though the team has stated that Evan Turner will play that role after successful backing up Damian Lillard last year, if Goodwin plays well enough, he should be able to nab more minutes as Trae Young’s primary backup at the point guard spot.
Knock Down Triples
One way Goodwin can do that is by converting his three-point attempts off the catch or off the dribble. Last season, Goodwin only attempted 6 total three-pointers, but his college returns from downtown are not promising. During his four-year college career with UCF and Florida Gulf Coast, he shot just over 30 percent on over 3 attempts per game. For Goodwin to truly provide serviceable backup play to Young, he’ll need to improve on that number.
Keep Those Assist Numbers Up
One area where Goodwin has been consistent is with his passing. Though he lacks the flair and creativity that Young possesses with his dimes, Goodwin did average nearly 4 assists per game on a 25.2% assist rate across his four-year college career. In limited minutes last year, that rate was 32.1 percent. If his assist numbers stay heady, expect him to earn minutes next year.
Our player goals series rolls on with more players to come. Keep it locked to Soaring Down South for more.