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Three Biggest Takeaways From Atlanta Hawks Summer League Roster Reveal
Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots over Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks unveiled their Summer League Roster this evening, eight days ahead of their opening night game against the Miami Heat. Players included third-year guard Kobe Bufkin, third year forward Mouhamed Gueye, and rookie first round pick Asa Newell.

Hawks assistant coach Bryan Bailey will serve as Atlanta’s Summer League head coach. This is the third time Bailey will serve as head coach of a Summer League team, as he was Utah’s head coach in 2021 and 2022 (Salt Lake City). Bailey will be joined by Seth Jackson (College Park Skyhawks assistant coach), Sanjay Lumpkin (Hawks assistant coach), Reggis Onwukamuche (Hawks assistant coach), Jacob Porter (DAV), Ashton Smith (Hawks player development coach), Chris Sosnik (DAV), Ekpe Udoh (Hawks assistant coach) and Conner Varney (DAV).

With the release of the roster, here are some instant takeaways I had:

1. This is a big summer for Kobe Bufkin

Bufkin was taken by Atlanta with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, but has been plagued by injuries during his first two seasons in the NBA. When he has been able to suit up and play, he has flashed his two-way ability, but that has only been in spurts. It is usually not a great sign for a third-year player to be playing in Summer League, but given Bufkin's injury history, it is not a huge surprise that he is playing. If he can have a good showing, it would make the Hawks look even deeper than they already are on paper.

2. Mouhamed Gueye and Zaccharie Risacher are not playing

This probably should not be a huge surprise, but Zaccharie Risacher and Mouhamed Gueye are not going to be playing in this year's summer league. Risacher is, of course, one of the core pieces for the franchise going forward after such a strong rookie season and Gueye became a major contributor down the stretch of last season when the Hawks suffered a rash of injuries that forced him into action.

Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks were +9.4 points better per 100 possessions with Gueye on the floor in 515 total minutes played. The Hawks' defense ranked in the 98th percentile in points allowed per 100 possessions (-9.6), in the 81st percentile in effective field goal percentage allowed, 74th percentile in TOV%, 98th percentile in offensive rebounding percentage allowed, and 80th percentile in free throw percentage allowed. 515 minutes is not a large sample, but those are really good numbers on defense, and Atlanta was better on that end when he played as opposed to not.

3. First Look at Asa Newell

Newell is going to make his Hawks debut next Friday night against the Heat and it will be interesting to see what the first round pick can bring to the table. With the Hawks free agency moves, it won't be imperative for Newell to make an instant impact, but the more the merrier for the Hawks.

Newell appeared in 33 games (all starts) in his lone collegiate season at Georgia, averaging 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 29.0 minutes (.543 FG%, .748 FT%). He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors four times during the 2024-25 campaign, matching Anthony Edwards’ program record set in 2019-20.

The first freshman to lead Georgia in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg) since Jumaine Jones in 1997-98, Newell secured seven double-doubles this past season, tied for the fourth-most in the nation amongst all freshmen. He registered a 21-point, 17-rebound double-double on March 12 against Oklahoma, the most rebounds by a Bulldog since Toumani Camara’s 17 boards against Montana in Dec. 2020.

In his collegiate debut against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 4, the 6-9 forward poured in 26 points on 13-22 shooting from the field, in addition to 11 rebounds, one steal and three blocks in 32 minutes of play. His 26 points are tied with Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Famer and Atlanta Hawks legend, Dominique Wilkins, for the highest offensive output by a Bulldog freshmen in their debut.

Prior to playing collegiately at Georgia, the Atlanta native played at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, as a junior and senior in high school, alongside Cooper Flagg and Derik Queen.

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This article first appeared on Atlanta Hawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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