Newly drafted Asa Newell has watched the Hawks in a few games from the stands at State Farm Arena. Now, the 19-year-old will begin playing for the same team he grew up watching.
The Hawks acquired Newell, a forward who was the 23rd overall pick in the NBA draft, after trading the 13th pick to the Pelicans.
So, even though 24 hours had elapsed since the Hawks drafted him, sitting in front of the media as the team introduced him felt surreal.
“I knew deep in my heart that I really wanted to go to the Hawks, and hearing about the trades, and me and DQ (Derik Queen) basically got traded for each other, it was pretty cool,” Newell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. “So that’s gonna be a fun matchup, for sure. But it was just like, ‘Wow.’ My heart was beating so fast when the camera came to my table, and I just, I was just so happy, especially getting dropped into a great organization.”
Newell grew up with the jerseys of some of the Hawks’ greats, including Dominique Wilkins, as well as sharpshooter and assistant general manager Kyle Korver. The former Georgia Bulldog met Korver for the first time at the NBA draft combine in May and again for a predraft interview in Atlanta.
But the team drafting Newell on Wednesday closed a circle that began with a trade that included Korver.
“Makes you feel old, right?” Korver joked. “I was saying earlier it’s wild. So when I got traded, it was for a pick that became Kevin Huerter, right? Kevin Huerter, that pick eventually comes through (after Huerter was traded in 2023). We get it. It’s the 13th pick. We trade the 13th back (Wednesday), we get the pick for next year, and we (still) select Asa.
“So yesterday, when he got off the plane, I got to tell him the story, and it’s just like, man, it’s this full-circle moment. Man, I don’t know what the future holds, and right now, we’re in the right spot. These things are all connected. That’s pretty cool. It’s a good little moment.”
Newell has a few months before he steps onto the court of State Farm Arena for an NBA game. In the meantime, fans can watch his debut when he competes at Summer League in Las Vegas next month.
But the 6-foot-9 Newell, who has tried to model his game after Grizzlies big Jaren Jackson Jr., already knows some of the things he needs to do to crack the rotation.
“A lot of people tell me I play like Chris Bosh,” Newell said during the press conference. “A lefty, athletic, can guard multiple positions as well and just an overall athlete.
“Also, I like watching Jaren Jackson, Aaron Gordon in the league today. Aaron Gordon, you can’t knock him off a straight-line drive. ... He’s able to take a smaller matchup in the post, passing ability, knock down shots. Jaren Jackson, his defensive motor and just his overall development in the league. That’s something I want to do.”
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