How Asa Newell’s confidence has allowed him to grow in rookie season

The Atlanta Hawks have been successful this season, and it hasn’t been because of one player making a difference all the time. It’s been a collective group effort, and with players being out here and there, that has led to others getting more opportunities at times. That’s what has happened to Asa Newell, the Hawks’ first-round draft pick this summer, who has shown to be a sponge early in the season.

Newell has seen time on the court with the Hawks, while also being able to work on his game even more with the G League affiliate College Park Skyhawks. He was just playing in a morning game with the Skyhawks, and he finished that game with 27 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

The next day, he found himself playing with the Hawks against the Los Angeles Clippers, as Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis were out. Newell made the most of his playing time, finishing with 11 points. After the game, Newell spoke about the opportunities he’s been able to get this season.

“I’m just trying to take advantage of every opportunity that I get,” Newell said. “I just have confidence in myself. I have a great coaching staff and teammates that I surround myself with who have that confidence and just go out there and play.”

Newell’s work has not gone unnoticed, as coaches and players see what he’s been doing.

“Playing in the G League is so important for a guy like that,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “He’s there, and you know he’s ready to go, but sometimes you can only play so many guys, so he got an opportunity tonight, and he was prepared. I thought he was dialed in. He’s playing the way we want him to play. He’s taking open shots, he’s trying to defend, he’s on the boards.  He’s continuously building those habits, and that’s what we want to see.”

“It’s tough because you have guys having to do more, and I think this is going to be the period where you have to get through the muckiness of it, and growing into it,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “It’s good that it happens now. We all need guys to handle guys playing in different roles and stepping up. I think how Asa handled stepping into his role and being aggressive [was good]. Those things are important, and I think the main thing that I can do to help is to continue to talk them through while the game is going on.”

Newell continues to make strides this season, and by the end of the year, he could look like a different player.

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