The Atlanta Hawks traded down to the 23rd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They received the New Orleans Pelicans’ 2026 first-round pick in exchange for the 13th selection. The Hawks selected Asa Newell, an Atlanta native. He played one year at the University of Georgia before achieving his NBA dream.
The Hawks came into the 2025-26 campaign with high expectations, as they added shooting, size, rim protection, and veteran leadership this past summer. As a result, Newell’s potential role as a backup forward shrank. However, despite the short sample size, Newell’s play for Atlanta and the College Park Skyhawks proves he might be ready for a bigger opportunity early in his promising career.
Hawks Rookie Shows Flashes Of Untapped Offensive Potential
Asa Newell’s 3-Point Shot Shines
The Hawks rookie served as an excellent lob threat at Georgia. His athleticism at six-foot-eleven, 225 pounds jumped off the page, combined with his comfort level in putting the ball on the floor in transition. In contrast, questions surrounded his perimeter offensive game. He shot 26-of-89, 29.2%, from beyond the arc in 33 contests. Through 15 games with Atlanta and three with College Park, Newell answered those questions with flying colors.
The 20-year-old forward has converted 11 of his 22 3-pointers for the Hawks in just 8.5 minutes per contest. He knocked multiple triples in three of those games. While that efficiency will not hold over an 82-game season, Newell’s confidence to let the ball fly from deep is more encouraging. His per-36-minute stats have him taking 6.2 3-pointers per game- a monster leap from his 3.7 attempts per 40 minutes in college.
Newell’s best performances came against two of the top teams in the Western Conference- the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder. He collected a career-high 17 points, shooting 2-for-5 from downtown with five rebounds and four steals against Los Angeles. Atlanta won the contest, 122-102, despite missing Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porziņģis, Onyeka Okongwu, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Newell dropped his first NBA double-double against the defending champs. He totaled 12 points, 10 rebounds, and shot 3-of-5 on his threes.
Skyhawks head coach Steve Klei clearly prioritizes Newell when available. The forward leads College Park with 20.0 points on 14.7 field goal attempts per contest. He shoots 58.3% from deep on 4.0 3-point attempts per game across 28.8 minutes. Newell scored 27 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep against the Westchester Knicks on Dec. 2.
Potential Position Battle with Mouhamed Gueye
Atlanta relies on Mouhamed Gueye’s help-side rim protection, rebounding, and ability to switch onto smaller guards. He provided a spark multiple times throughout the season to give the Hawks a big energy lift off the bench. His defense on wing scorers like Paolo Banchero gives the Hawks additional defensive weaponry against bigger scorers alongside Dyson Daniels and Alexander-Walker.
Mo Gueye LOCKDOWN Paulo Banchero
3rd Block pic.twitter.com/UNvbB37QIM
— Eric Yu (@Eric35_Yu) November 5, 2025
Much like Newell at Georgia, Gueye struggles from beyond the arc, shooting 14-for-52 from 3-point range this season. His struggles are affecting his volume at the moment. Gueye did not attempt a 3-pointer in three of his last four games, but the outside shot remains a key cog in the Hawks’ offense. It gives Johnson and Alexander-Walker the space to get downhill. If defenses can help off Gueye, the paint becomes crowded.
Newell’s improving outside shot could net him a bigger role later in the campaign. Ultimately, the backup power forward minutes could become matchup-based. If the Hawks need more outside shooting and offensive versatility, the Hawks rookie might see the floor over Gueye. On the other hand, if Atlanta must slow down the opposition, head coach Quin Snyder likely leans more toward Gueye. Snyder tends to value experience in most situations, but it will be interesting to see if Gueye and Newell split minutes later this season.
Featured Image: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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