Why Asa Newell will instantly ‘impact winning’ with Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have been busy the past few days as they’ve tried to improve their roster in different areas. First, they added Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team trade with the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. On draft night, they traded their No. 13 pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 23 pick and a first-round pick for 2026.

With the No. 23 pick, the Atlanta Hawks selected Asa Newell from Georgia, an athletic forward who has some nice skills on both offense and defense. General manager Onsi Saleh has been working hard, and on the first night of the draft, it sounded like he came out with the player he felt like fit the best for the team.

“He plays hard as hell,” Saleh said. “If you guys watched him this year, Asa is just an unbelievable competitor. If you watch him play or get up and down the court, screening, his intelligence, spacing, and respacing. The things that he does impact winning. People could just look at scoring and box score stuff, but the guy helps with winning and creating a culture of winning for your program.”

Newell can do a lot of things for the Hawks on offense, as he’s a great lob threat and can live around the paint for putbacks and other things. One area where he’ll continue to develop is his perimeter shooting, and once he finds comfort in that, he can be a dangerous player.

On defense, he’s seen as a good rim protector and switchable defender, which will help him stay on the court.

Hawks draft Asa Newell with the No. 23 pick

In his one-and-done season with Georgia, Newell averaged 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game, and was a key part of their team. According to Saleh, Newell has all the skills the Hawks want on and off the court.

“Asa is unbelievable. With where the league is going, people with size and athleticism like that just make sense,” Saleh said. “He’s a great screener, a great human being, a ridiculous athlete, and a really smart player, too. He is an unbelievable competitor and does things that impact winning.”

The Hawks’ roster is still taking shape, and there are still some areas where they need to add depth. They don’t have a second-round pick, but there’s always a chance for them to trade into it to add more young talent. Free agency is also coming up, and the Hawks should be active in the market, especially with their $25.3 million trade exception.