Not many people have a chance to do what Asa Newell can with the Atlanta Hawks. The 23rd pick in the 2025 NBA draft grew up in Athens, Georgia, rooting for the Hawks in the early 2000s. Fast forward two decades, and Newell can contribute to a team primed for contention at the top of the Eastern Conference.
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However, Newell’s role as a consistent bench player remains unclear. Mouhamed Gueye is likely to take most of the backup power forward minutes at the start of next season. Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porziņģis man the center position. Newell will need to impress the coaching staff in training camp and during the early days of the season to secure consistent court time.
Projecting Asa Newell’s Rookie-Year Role With Hawks
Newell Could Benefit From a Stint in College Park
In 2023, Atlanta traded into the second round to take Gueye 39th overall. Despite a late selection, he signed a four-year, $7.6 million deal and spent his rookie campaign with the College Park Skyhawks. His experience in the G League sped up his development, especially on the defensive end. Gueye’s performance to conclude the 2024-25 campaign likely won him his first healthy rotation stint in Atlanta next season.
While Newell comes into the league as a higher-touted prospect than Gueye, the 19-year-old could easily take a similar route to carve an NBA role. He signed a four-year, $16.2 million rookie deal after the draft. Throughout the past few seasons, the Hawks have had a number of success stories come through their G League program, including Jalen Johnson.
Jalen Johnson opens up about how the G League experience helped him develop into the player he is now.
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When Vít Krječí broke into the league in 2021, his shooting and perimeter defense were big questions. He signed a two-way contract with Atlanta in 2023 and spent time in College Park, honing in on those two skills. Two years later, he has a four-year, $10.2 million deal, shoots 43.7% from deep, and can defend 1-3 at the NBA level.
Questions surround Newell’s perimeter shooting and strength coming out of the University of Georgia. He shot 29.2% from deep on 2.7 attempts per game in college. However, at summer league, albeit in a smaller sample size, he went 6-14 from downtown. Newell’s shot mechanics looked repeatable, and he was not afraid to let it fly when given space. The rookie has to get stronger with his upper body to take contact from NBA defenders. He struggled to finish through contact in Las Vegas.
How Does Newell Fit on the Hawks Next Season?
Atlanta’s frontcourt is much deeper now than a season ago. Johnson, Okongwu, Porziņģis, and Gueye form a rotation to outduel most opposing fours and fives. The Hawks look to go from a young, developing squad to a top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26. Rookies do not play a big role in a lot of these cases.
However, injuries are often a part of every team’s season. Porziņģis, especially, has missed a lot of time throughout his career, only reaching the 60-game mark three times over his nine NBA seasons. If the injury bug bites the Hawks’ frontcourt, Newell could be first in line to receive a small role.
If Atlanta sees him as a power forward, the former Georgia product could play next to Porziņģis. This gives the Hawks a balance of deadly shooting and rim protection at center with athleticism and defensive versatility at the four. If Newell played with any of the other three frontcourt members, Atlanta’s shooting would suffer. However, its defense would be lethal, having switchable and rangy defenders across the floor.
Newell likely plays a small role in his rookie season, but the Hawks certainly have high hopes for him in the future.
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