Atlanta Hawks: 5 goals for Taurean Prince in 2017-18

Training camp is rapidly approaching, a perfect time for Taurean Prince to showcase exactly what he can bring to the Atlanta Hawks during his sophomore season.

A key component of the rebuilding efforts for the Atlanta Hawks is the development of small forward Taurean Prince.

In an effort to play his optimal lineup for an extended period of time, coach Mike Budenholzer inserted Prince — after 59 regular season appearances during his first season in the league — into the starting lineup against Washington once postseason play began.

The tactic provided the Hawks with a reliable perimeter defender capable of switching off from Otto Porter Jr. and thwarting the efforts of Bradley Beal or John Wall.

Price excelled defensively during Atlanta’s abbreviated playoff run, limiting Porter to 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds,1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game during the series. Against Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, while being defended by Jae Crowder, Porter posted 14.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

While the 6’8″ forward excelled during his first playoff run, he struggled as the leader for the Hawks’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas. Prince led the team in minutes played, remaining on the court for 27.5 minutes a night, but failed to set standard in any other category.

Atlanta tried running its offense through Prince, but received little productivity. Prince logged 13.3 points on 34.7 percent shooting from the field and turned the ball over 4.0 times per game while dishing out just 1.5 assists.

Fortunately, the results from Summer League are quickly forgotten once regular season play begins. Here are five realistic goals for Prince to achieve during his sophomore season in 2017-18.