Asa Newell has spent the preseason giving the Hawks exactly the kind of read they needed: he can help, but probably not by being turned loose as a high-usage scorer just yet.
That’s the big takeaway from Atlanta’s early look at the first-round pick from 2025. Newell’s rookie year already hinted at a player with real two-way upside, and the numbers backed that up. Over 36 minutes last season, he was producing 16.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.2 offensive boards, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 2.1 made threes while shooting .538/.387/.552.
That’s the profile of a young player worth betting on. But the preseason has also made one thing clear: Newell’s next step is less about expanding into a featured scorer and more about sharpening how he fits around the players who already drive the offense.
He opened the preseason with 12 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals against the Memphis Grizzlies. Then came 16 points in 14 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs, followed by eight points on 4-of-8 shooting against the Indiana Pacers.
But his latest outing was a rougher one. With most of Atlanta’s starters sitting, Newell managed just 3-of-14 from the field and had trouble creating offense.
That uneven stretch doesn’t erase the positive signs. It does, though, reinforce the idea that Newell is still more finisher than creator at this stage.
He’s better when the game comes to him, when he’s attacking the glass, screening, rolling, and working off other playmakers. That’s where his value shows up right now.
The shot is the biggest swing skill to watch. Newell is just 2-of-16 from deep in the preseason, which stands out even more because he shot 29.2 percent from three in his lone college season. For now, that makes it fair to wonder how dependable the jumper really is, and whether he can consistently play next to Jalen Johnson given Newell’s downhill game.
Still, even on a night when his shot deserted him, Newell found ways to matter. Against the Pacers, he grabbed five offensive rebounds and blocked two shots.
The effort was there. So was the switchability.
Those are the kind of traits that keep him in the mix even when the points aren’t falling.
That’s why the Hawks’ best path is pretty straightforward. Keep Newell involved.
Don’t turn him into a bystander. But don’t force him into a role that asks him to carry too much of the scoring burden either.
What Atlanta has right now is a young big who can clean up possessions, defend across multiple positions, and play off established creators. If he gets back to his 2025-26 shooting level, that only raises the ceiling. And if the Hawks want to bring that ceiling into view, the plan probably needs to look like high involvement, low usage.
There’s also a natural mentor connection here. Newell’s ability to switch against multiple positions gives off a lot of Dorian Finney-Smith energy, and Finney-Smith is the new addition who can help him along. That doesn’t mean Newell should be molded in someone else’s image, but it does point to the kind of role Atlanta should be building around him.
It may not deliver instant payoff. But if the Hawks want the best version of Asa Newell down the line, the preseason has already suggested the formula: keep him active, keep him involved, and let his game grow into the scoring part at its own pace.
In Other News...
Hawks Make Another Back-End Roster Move With A Familiar Purpose
Preseason roster churn is in full swing around the league, and the Hawks are part of the same familiar dance as teams trim and reshuffle the bottom of the roster before opening night. The latest example came in Charlotte, where the Hornets waived forward Wyatt Fricks, signed guard DaJuan Gordon, then quickly waived Gordon to make room for guard Latrell Wrightsell, a sequence that fits the same pattern Atlanta and several other teams have been using to manage camp bodies and preserve flexibility.
It is a move built less around immediate rotation needs than around the mechanics of training camp, with both Gordon and Wrightsell arriving as undrafted players who have G League experience. Their deals likely carry Exhibit 10 language, the kind of setup that can steer players toward an affiliate if they do not stick, and it is the same roster bookkeeping the Rockets, Jazz and Nets have also been working through as teams sort out the final stages of preseason. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Opening Night Lineup Comes With One Big Offensive Concern
The Hawks are heading into opening night against the Orlando Magic with a starting group that looks built to be long, versatile and disruptive on defense. A likely lineup of CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu gives Atlanta size on the perimeter and plenty of activity at the point of attack, while also hinting at a different identity than the one fans may be used to seeing.
The bigger question is whether that group has enough half-court creation when the game slows down. McCollum supplies proven scoring punch, but the rest of the projected starters are still best known for defense, connective play and energy, which leaves the Hawks with some lineup decisions to monitor early in the season, including whether Lu Dort eventually fits into the starting five or whether Aaron Wiggins becomes more important in closing situations. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Fans Can Finally Say What Bronny Coverage Exposed
Bronny James has drawn plenty of attention since entering the league as a late second-round pick, but Gilbert Arenas recently used that spotlight to make a broader point about how the NBA conversation gets shaped. His criticism centered on the way media attention can balloon around one young player while another, even one taken at the very top of the draft, can slide through the discussion with far less noise. For Hawks fans, that hits close to home because Zaccharie Risacher was the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 and arrived with the kind of expectations that usually make a player impossible to overlook.
DeMarcus Cousins has also chimed in on the imbalance, noting that Risacher is often left out of the familiar debates about European and American players. That absence stands out all the more because Risachers playing time and production have given analysts enough to evaluate, yet the noise tends to follow James instead. The contrast leaves Atlanta in an odd spot, with its top pick getting less of the national spotlight than a player drafted much later, and it says as much about the media cycle as it does about either rookie. [Read more 🡒]