Asa Newell was named the Atlanta Hawks' top breakout candidate for the 2026-27 season.
Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz named Asa Newell the Atlanta Hawks' top breakout candidate for the 2026-27 season.
Here is why:
"The 23rd overall pick in 2025, Asa Newell showed flashes as a rookie yet never truly played a consistent role for an Atlanta Hawks team that was shifting identities. Now in his second year and with a clear vision in place, there should be a dedicated rotation spot for the 6'10" forward.
"Newell was surprisingly efficient for a rookie, even if he wasn't getting a ton of looks on offense. The 20-year-old made 66.0 percent of his two-pointers and 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He attempted just 29 total free throws (making 55.2 percent) in 44 games, an area the Hawks would surely like to see improve. The physical tools are there for a player who could be Jalen Johnson's primary backup, even as the Hawks added some rookies to the frontcourt."
Newell appeared in 44 games for the Hawks last season. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 53.8% from the field, 38.7% from beyond the arc and 55.2% from the free-throw line.
Jonathan Kuminga and Zaccharie Risacher are gone, so Newell should get more minutes next season.
The Hawks went 46-36 and won the Southeast Division last season.
Atlanta lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, but remember, the Hawks were the only team to beat the Knicks twice in the 2026 postseason.
That shows how good the Hawks will be moving forward.
Hawks Roundtable spoke to an NBA executive recently who said the Hawks had a "terrific offseason."
The Hawks were busy. They signed CJ McCollum to an extension, re-signed Jock Landale, acquired Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Dallas Mavericks and drafted Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar in the 2026 draft.
"Terrific offseason for Atlanta," the NBA exec told Hawks Roundtable. "You can never have enough wings in today's NBA. That's why the Dort and Wiggins trades were huge."
Atlanta's core moving forward is Dort, Wiggins, McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu.
The Hawks are widely expected to start McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Johnson and Okongwu next season.
On paper, that's a strong starting five.
The Hawks haven't won a playoff series since 2021.
Let's see if that changes in 2027.
