Grading Asa Newell's First 31 Games of His Rookie Season

Newell has not contributed from game to game as a rookie, but he has shown flashes of high level play when he has been on the court

Dec 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell (14) grabs the rebound against Chicago Bulls forward Zach Collins (12) during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

When most think of the Atlanta Hawks draft night in the Summer of 2025, they think of the trade that Atlanta made with New Orleans, where they went back from No. 13 to No. 23 and got an unprotected 2026 1st round pick, which is the most favorable of the Pelicans and the Bucks first rounders.

Most forget that the Hawks actually took a talented player, Georgia forward Asa Newell. There were split opinions on Newell as a player and because he was picked 23rd on a team hoping to contend in the Eastern Conference, his role was not expected to be large.

In limited time though, Newell has shown he can be an impact player.

Newell's impact

Dec 19, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell (14) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Newell has played in 21 of the Hawks 31 games this season, averaging 5.4 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 10.2 minutes per game, but the most encouraging part of Newell's game has been his shooting percentages, not just his raw totals. Newell is shooting 57% from the filed and 51% from three, though just 69% at the line. One of the biggest questions that Newell faced when he was drafted was about his shooting, but in limited time, he has shown enough flashes to think he is going to continue improving.

So how should Newell's rookie season be graded? Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz gave a fair grade of a B- for the former Bulldogs' first 31 games:

"Asa Newell's playing time has ticked upward over the last month, including a stretch of six straight games where he played at least 10 minutes or more.

Over this time Newell averaged 8.8 points on 64.7 percent shooting overall and 58.3 percent from three in just 15.3 minutes, giving the Hawks a nice offensive boost off the bench.

Newell has been good in limited minutes and should see his role only continue to grow. The return of Trae Young as a table setter should help get the 23rd overall pick some easy buckets as well."

Something to watch with Newell moving forward is the fact that he has to play a little out of position due to the Hawks injuries in the frontcourt. With Kristaps Porzingis out with an illness and N'Faly Dante out for the season with a knee injury, Newell is going to have to play minutes as the backup center. His defense is at the level you would expect for a rookie, but he is showing growth with each game and if the injuries in the frontcourt don't improve, he might have to continue playing minutes there.