Asa Newell Might Be a Fan Favorite Hiding In Plain Sight

When the Hawks selected Asa Newell out of Georgia with the 23rd pick, they likely didn't make the pick with the expectation he'd be a pivotal part of the 2024-25 campaign.

However, things could change quickly.

Newell's ability to fit into a role was clear throughout Summer League. He played minutes at both power forward and center, averaging 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. It's encouraging to see that he can help the Hawks in a multitude of different roles especially because the Hawks have consistenly been left without capable depth in the frontcourt.

There's no question that the Hawks are taking a risk by trading for Kristaps Porzingis and signing Jalen Johnson to a long-term contract. Neither player has shown that they can consistently stay on the court deep into an NBA season. Therefore, it's vital that the Hawks add players that can fill in when one or both starters miss time. Newell shouldn't be expected to fill that void by himself, but the combination of him and Mo Gueye gives the Hawks more real depth than they've had at that spot in a long time.

Although they aren't identical players, it'd be excellent for the Hawks if Newell could deliver the same impact that the 2019-20 Hawks got from John Collins during their playoff run. While he hasn't been the same player in recent seasons, it shouldn't be discounted how much Collins helped Atlanta achieve their berth in the Eastern Conference Finals. They were 7.6 points per 100 possessions better in the 2021 playoffs when they played him because he could protect the rim, shoot threes and possessed a non-stop defensive motor. His athleticism gave the Hawks an edge against a slow Sixers lineup.

Therefore, it's fair to wonder how Newell and Collins stack up as rookies heading into the season. Even if he wasn't an instant star, it was pretty clear that Collins would stick in the NBA after his rookie season. Newell has to be at that level or exceed it to be considered capable of helping the Hawks win in 2025-26.

Coming out of college, Collins was one of the best players in the ACC. He had a box plus-minus of 9.2, which ranked 23rd in the country, due to his prowess as a rebounder and interior scorer. His per-36 minutes numbers of 25.9 points and 13.3 rebounds indicated that he'd at least have a future in the NBA as an offensively-tilted big man.

On the surface, Newell's numbers aren't as impressive. He had a BPM of 8.6 and only posted per-36 minutes numbers of 19.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. He also had worse rebounding numbers than Collins - Collins averaged an OREB% of 16.4% and a DREB% of 25.7% while Newell averaged 14% and 13.5% in the same metrics.

That being said, it's worth remembering that Newell is a whole year younger than Collins was when he came out of school. He also posted an AST% of 6.7%, compared to Collins' AST% of 4.5% and he had better TOV% as well (9.8% vs 13.2%). These numbers also came on similar usage - Newell played 72.5% of the available minutes and Collins played 66.5%. From a shooting perspective, Newell shot 62.7% on two-point shots while Collins shot 62.4% in the same category. Collins had higher volume in college, but the numbers are at least similar. Newell also showed more willingness to shoot in college - he attempted 89 threes and made 26 of them while Collins only attempted one three-pointer in two years of college.

If he can be comparable to Collins in important statistics despite having a year less of experience, that bodes well for what he could do as a rookie. From their numbers, it seems clear that Newell won't be the rebounding force that Collins was as a rookie. He'll also likely have struggles on defense similar to Collins because he's younger and doesn't quite have the size to guard true centers. However, he might be more offensively versatile as both a play finisher and a big man with a solid jumper. Newell also has the benefit of playing with either Porzingis, Okongwu or Gueye as defenders - all of them are at least capable rim protectors who can hold their own and cover for some of his lapses as he adjusts to the NBA.

There have been plenty of examples of NBA stars emerging from outside of the lottery. A strong rookie season from Newell could put him on that trajectory sooner rather than later.

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