Atlanta Hawks: 3 goals for Jeremy Lin in 2018-19

2. Improve his 3-point shooting

Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk’s long-term goal for this franchise is to shape them in the mold of his previous employer, the Golden State Warriors. Of course, the Warriors do many things well, but the one defining feature of those teams is their extraordinary 3-point shooting. For this Atlanta team to even vaguely resemble those squads, they will need to shoot well from deep.

For his part, Lin will need to straighten out his streaky shooting from downtown. A career 35 percent 3-point shooter, Lin has fluctuated between 32 and 37 percent during the six NBA seasons in which he received significant playing time (not counting his rookie season with the Warriors, where he averaged 9.8 minutes per game, nor his one-game season last year). His 37.2 percent rate in 2016-17 is hopefully a sign that he will find a more consistent long range stroke.

With Trae Young likely to experience some ups and down throughout the long season, the Hawks will need Lin to buoy those rough patches with steady 3-point production. If he can do that, the offense will be better off for it.