Phoenix Suns: 3 goals for Josh Jackson in 2018-19

2. Shoot 32 percent from 3-point range

Josh Jackson is not going to magically become a 3-point marksman in his second season. This has always been the area of his game that will determine his ceiling, his floor and where his NBA career ultimately lands between the two. It’s going to take some time to develop this skill, as anyone who’s ever seen his clunky jump shot would attest. (Is his jumper a charming but inessential Will Smith movie? Because, slight Hitch….)

Bearing that in mind, converting 32 percent of his long range attempts in 2018-19 seems like a depressingly low bar to set. Then again, considering Phoenix ranked dead last in 3-point efficiency last year at 33.4 percent, and that Jackson himself shot an anemic 26.3 percent on his 2.8 attempts per game, suddenly 32 percent seems both optimistic and attainable.

While shooting 32 percent from deep is pretty bad by NBA standards, it’d represent a six percent increase from his rookie year. For a 21-year-old wing who represents one of the Suns’ building blocks, that kind of year-over-year improvement would offer hope he can continue progressing on this front to at least become passable down the road.

Of course Phoenix would love for him to be a 40 percent 3-point shooter in his prime, but that’s probably not going to happen. If he can just be an average long range threat, he’ll spread the floor enough for the other skills in his two-way arsenal to really shine. Before he gets to that point, however, making 32 percent of his 3s this year is both a reasonable and optimistic goal.