Asa Newell is staring at the kind of opening that can change a young player’s trajectory fast.
The Hawks have a habit of finding one player each season who vaults from interesting to impossible to ignore. Dyson Daniels did it in 2024-25.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker followed in 2025-26 with one of the wildest statistical leaps the league has seen. Atlanta isn’t built to produce a Most Improved Player candidate every year, but the pattern is clear enough: if a young Hawk is ready, the door will open.
Newell may be next.
The 2025 first-round pick never settled into a steady role during his rookie year, but this season looks different. He should be in the nightly rotation, and this may be the best chance he gets to plant himself in Atlanta’s core for good.
That path got a little cleaner over the summer. Atlanta was comfortable moving on from Jonathan Kuminga, the midseason pickup who gave the bench a real jolt during the team’s unexpected playoff push, because the Hawks believed they had other players ready to step forward.
Newell’s minutes were already limited last season, and the addition of Kuminga was part of that squeeze. Mo Gueye was another factor, but the 23-year-old suffered an untimely injury this summer and won’t be healthy to start the season, if he’s still on the roster at all.
With those two obstacles gone, Newell has a real opening to build on the flashes he showed in short bursts last year.
The fit matters, too. Atlanta’s second unit has real shooting questions, and that makes Newell’s three-point efficiency more valuable than it might seem at first glance. With Kingston Flemings and Lu Dort both locked into opening-night minutes but not exactly sure things from deep, Newell could become the piece that gives certain lineup combinations a cleaner offensive look.
League observers are beginning to see it that way as well.
"The 23rd overall pick in 2025, Asa Newell showed flashes as a rookie yet never truly played a consistent role for an Atlanta Hawks team that was shifting identities. Now in his second year and with a clear vision in place, there should be a dedicated rotation spot for the 6'10" forward."
Swartz also pointed to what Hawks fans already understand, saying Newell could soon become "Jalen Johnson's primary backup, even as the Hawks added some rookies to the frontcourt."
In Other News...
Hawks Quietly Turned A Risky Gabe Vincent Deal Into Real Value
When Atlanta sent Luke Kennard to the Lakers at the February trade deadline for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick, it looked like the kind of deal that carried some obvious risk. Vincent never became a long-term fit for the Hawks, and he did not return on a new contract, but Atlanta still came out of the move with a draft asset and a useful transaction route that added flexibility around the roster.
Vincent is now sitting on the open market with training camp drawing closer, a reminder that the Hawks did not need to force a commitment to make the trade matter. Kennard has since moved on to Phoenix after his stint in Los Angeles, while Atlanta quietly turned a midseason swing into something more practical than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face One Big Test After Their Quiet Offseason
The Hawks took a measured approach to the offseason, choosing stability over splash and betting that veteran presence plus a few championship-tested additions can help carry over last seasons momentum. Rather than chase the biggest names, Atlanta kept its core intact and turned its attention to the parts of the roster that need sharpening, especially interior defense and the continued development of younger pieces who can grow into bigger roles.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels sit near the center of that conversation, even if the biggest question is how much more offense they can supply as the season unfolds. Atlanta does not need a wholesale overhaul to stay competitive, but it does need those two to keep expanding their games while the teams quiet summer choices are judged against the standard of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Hype Is Growing But One Top-Six Debate Won't Go Away
The buzz around Atlantas upcoming season is easy to understand. The Hawks have leaned into defense, added depth over the offseason and kept pointing to player development as a reason for optimism, all while trying to climb into the conversation with the Easts better teams. Even with the conference looking crowded and unforgiving, theres a case that Atlanta can be more than just interesting if the pieces fit the way the front office believes they can.
Still, one conversation keeps hanging over the roster: whether the Hawks have addressed the kind of issue that can decide a season in April and May. The defense looks sturdier on paper, but there are lingering questions about whether the interior can hold up against bigger frontcourts and whether the offense can be trusted once games slow down. Until those answers come into focus, the case for Atlanta remains promising, but not quite settled. [Read more 🡒]