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Quin Snyder Praises Asa Newell’s Preseason Growth, Warns Development ‘Isn’t Linear’
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- Quin Snyder Praises Asa Newell’s Preseason Growth, Warns Development ‘Isn’t Linear’
(Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images)
Asa Newell started once and led the Atlanta Hawks in rebounding twice during a 4-1 preseason that ended Friday.
Atlanta opens the regular season Wednesday at the Orlando Magic , with tip-off at 7 p.m. ET.
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The game is 48 minutes. Hawks coach Quin Snyder would give everybody as many reps as he could.
"Asa's had a really good preseason," Snyder said Sunday. "We like a lot of the things that he's doing. We've seen him defend. He's much more aggressive shooting the ball, I think."
"And I think it's always important for us to remember that all players, and teams as well, particularly when you're a young player or a young team, that growth isn't linear, that there's a long runway for guys to improve and get better, and it's even more so when you're 20 years old," Snyder continued.
Newell Put Together Strong Preseason Stretch
Newell opened the preseason Oct. 5 with 12 points and a team-high 12 rebounds in 22 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies . Five of the rebounds came on the offensive glass. He shot 5-of-9 from the field in the 132-123 loss.
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Three days later in San Antonio, he led Atlanta with 16 points in 14 minutes of a 123-116 win.
He scored 8 points on 4-of-8 shooting Oct. 10 in a 119-117 win at the Indiana Pacers .
His start came Oct. 12 against the Oklahoma City Thunder , when Atlanta rested six regulars . Newell played 27 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds, 5 of them offensive, in a 113-110 win. He shot 3-of-14 from the field.
The regulars were back for Friday's finale at the Dallas Mavericks , and Newell came off the bench in the 135-111 win.
Snyder Says Opportunities Will Not Always Be Consistent
Part of a player developing is focus, and development can take place in many different ways, Snyder said.
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"So as I said, we wanna play everybody if we could," Snyder explained. "But there's a limit to who we can put out there and for how long. And that affects different guys at different times in different ways."
"And the challenge is to always be communicating and transparent about those things," Snyder added. "And then for players to always stay ready, because those opportunities, they're there, they happen. And that's when we need everybody to win a game."
Newell Enters Year 2 After G League Development
The New Orleans Pelicans 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.
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At Georgia, he averaged 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds in his only college season and made the SEC All-Freshman team.
He appeared in 44 games for the Hawks as a rookie and started two. Newell averaged 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.4 minutes, and he shot 38.7% from 3-point range on 1.7 attempts per game.
Much of the second half of that season went to the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta's G League affiliate. Newell averaged 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 blocks there.
He had nine 20-point games for College Park, and his high was 36 points on March 21.
The Hawks brought him back for the regular-season finale April 12 at the Miami Heat . With the starters resting, Newell made his second career start and finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a 143-117 loss.
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At camp in Nashville this fall, Newell talked about embracing a bigger role in his second season.
After Wednesday's opener, Atlanta hosts the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena.
