Three Biggest Storylines For the Atlanta Hawks In Summer League

Atlanta Hawks basketball is back tomorrow!

The Hawks are heading to Salt Lake City before they get to Vegas later this month, and they are going to have a highly anticipated matchup against the Utah Jazz and No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson. The Jazz and the Hawks have two of the better rosters in Summer League, and it should be a fun game tomorrow.

But there are games beyond tomorrow afternoon's class with the Jazz and the next few weeks are going to give these players an opportunity to shine and show that they belong on the big stage.

Here are three storylines that I am watching closely this Summer.

1. Asa Newell dominance?

Asa Newell Atlanta Hawk — Jan 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell (14) shoots against the Houston Rockets in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year's first round pick Asa Newell had a quiet rookie season in Atlanta, but Hawks fans will tell you just how good he looked during his limited minutes with the Hawks, but particulalry how dominant he was in the G-League with the College Park Skyhawks.

Newell played in 44 games this season for the Hawks and averaged 5.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 11.4 MPG while shooting 54% from the field and 39% from three. The shooting was particularly encouraging for Newell, as that was a big question mark for him coming out of college.

Newell played in 15 games at the G-League level and averaged 22.2 PPG and 7.7 RPG while shooting 57% from the field and 38% from three in over 32 minutes per game.

I think there is a chance that Newell could put on a show in both Salt Lake and Vegas this summer and make a case for being in the Hawks regular season rotation next season.

2. Rookies, rookies, rookies

Kingston Flemings Atlanta Hawk — Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the eighth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Houston guard Kingston Flemings after he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Hawks are going to have an intriguing trio of rookies to watch in Summer League over the next couple of weeks. Yes, they do not have a prospect of the caliber of Peterson, but Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar are a talented group of players that could stand out over the next couple of weeks.

I would expect Flemings to of course be a starter for the Hawks and one of Ejiofor or Veesaar to be the starter at center. Newell is going to certainly be a starter as well, but both Ejiofor and Veesaar are going to see plenty of minutes.

3. Two-Way Player contenders

Both Keshon Gilbert and RayJ Dennis are already on two-way contracts with the Hawks and there are a pair of players who were previously on two-way contracts with Atlanta, Jacob Toppin and Eli Ndiaye. Toppin and Ndiaye were promising players, but suffered season-ending injuries and were waived.

Assuming the Hawks keep Gilbert and Dennis on two-way contracts this season, there is one more spot open for a two-way contract on the Hawks roster. Atlanta does not have any available standard roster spots, but these players are going to be competing for the other two-way slot that Atlanta does have and showing other teams that have more roster room that they are capable of playing at the highest level.

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