Asa Newell's Rebounding Motor Stands Out in Hawks Preseason Opener

Asa Newell pulled down five offensive rebounds Monday night and finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but the Atlanta Hawks dropped their preseason opener to the Memphis Grizzlies, 132-123.

His 12 rebounds led Atlanta. Seven came on the defensive end.

Crashing the glass is a trait Newell has carried since high school.

"I just felt like I'm swimming through my defenders," Newell said. "It's a trait that I've had since high school, going into college, and it's just — I get it from my brother. He really paved the way for me because he was always crashing the boards hard, beating up on a little brother. And I just felt like we call it motor, and I just have to keep that motor running."

Newell checked in during the second quarter with Corey Kispert and Jock Landale. Memphis scored 49 points in that period and led 81-61 at halftime.

Hawks coach Quin Snyder said Newell threw himself into the game.

"You could feel Asa on the glass," Snyder said. "There was an energy about how he played, which is something that he's done and given us. But more than anything, he just threw himself into the game. His instincts going after the ball and the glass are good.

"He'll make some plays there coming up with some offensive rebounds and put-backs," Snyder continued. "He's another young guy. Every opportunity like this is an opportunity for him to get better."

Atlanta's starters sat the entire second half. The Hawks outscored Memphis 37-29 in the third quarter and 25-22 in the fourth.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker won the NBA's Most Improved Player award for 2025-26. He scored 14 points Monday, 10 of them in the first quarter.

One of Newell's turnovers came on a wide-open layup that he lost, and Alexander-Walker had a fix for it.

"He was just telling me, 'You're playing good, but Coach Q is always telling us to play fast,'" Newell explained. "I kind of took it as playing at one speed, and he was telling me, 'Play fast, fast, fast, then settle.' When I had that turnover, when I had a wide-open layup and just lost it, he was saying I was going at one speed.

"I just need to play fast and then let the defense call, and use my body," Newell added. "Nickeil has been great for me. He's like a big brother to me, and he's a leader. He just makes things easy."

New Orleans selected Newell 23rd overall in the 2025 NBA Draft and sent his rights to Atlanta, along with a 2026 first-round pick, for the rights to No. 13 pick Derik Queen. He averaged 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds in his lone season at Georgia.

Newell appeared in 44 games for the Hawks as a rookie and started two. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.4 minutes. With the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta's G League affiliate, he averaged 22.8 points and 8.5 rebounds. His high there was 36 points on March 21.

He was back with Atlanta for the regular-season finale April 12 at Miami. Newell made his second career start that night and finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Last spring, the New York Knicks eliminated the Hawks in six games in the first round. Newell was not really in the rotation, but he was in the huddles and in the locker room.

"Being in my second year, playoff basketball is all I know," Newell said. "I kind of talked about it a little bit: I wasn't really in the rotation, but I saw it, and I was in those huddles and in the locker room. We just wanted to have carryover from last year, and Corey said it best: We have new faces, guys learning new terminology, and guys getting comfortable with each other.

"I just feel like it's going to take time, but it's good to have games like this where we can all make mistakes and learn from them," Newell noted. "Come game one, we'll be ready."

Last week at camp in Nashville, Tennessee, the 20-year-old said he was helping new teammates with terminology during his second training camp. Luguentz Dort, acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in July, was among them. Dort did not play Monday.

In his Summer League opener against Utah in July, Newell had 15 points and five rebounds.

Thursday brings a trip to San Antonio to face the Spurs, with an 8 p.m. ET tip-off.

Forward Mouhamed Gueye, who fractured his left foot in a July 8 workout, also sat out Monday. He had surgery July 14, and the Hawks said then he would be reevaluated in three to four months.