Team context: Atlanta Hawks · Research cutoff: July 18, 2026.
Role and 2025-26 baseline
Newell averaged 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 0.7 threes in 11.4 minutes across 44 games. He shot 53.8% FG and 55.2% FT. The low total reflects role and G League assignment more than injury. ESPN stats · Basketball-Reference
Mouhamed Gueye's foot surgery opens an early reserve-forward window, but Zuby Ejiofor, Henri Veesaar, Jock Landale, and Onyeka Okongwu still create severe congestion.
2026-27 projection
| GP | Min | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 4 | .525 | .620 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Base rotation allocation: 4 of Atlanta's exactly 240 minutes.
Fantasy fit and range
- Redraft: undrafted; requires 18-plus minutes before becoming a deep-league rebounds/FG streamer.
- Dynasty: end-of-roster hold in 16-team formats; age and athletic tools matter more than current production.
- Floor: recurring G League assignments and matchup-only NBA minutes.
- Ceiling: 18 minutes while Gueye recovers, producing roughly 8 points and five rebounds.
- Build note: poor FT% can matter even at moderate volume; he needs either blocks or a reliable three to become category-friendly.
Career record
Pre-NBA: One season at Georgia (2024-25, SEC). In 33 games at 29.0 minutes he averaged 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks on .543/.292/.748 shooting, earning SEC All-Freshman honors. Earlier he was Defensive MVP of the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup. Draft: 2025, first round, 23rd pick, New Orleans — traded on draft night to Atlanta with a future first for the rights to Derik Queen.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 20 | ATL | 44 | 11.4 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | .538 | .552 | 0.5 |
| Career | 44 | 11.4 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | .538 | .552 | 0.5 |
Durability: 44 games as a rookie, with two starts. The games he missed were roster decisions and College Park Skyhawks assignments rather than injury.
Trajectory: One NBA season, and it was a developmental one — 3.8 field goal attempts a night, a 55% free throw mark, and enough G League time to signal Atlanta was not counting on him. The encouraging piece is the 1.7 three-point attempts per game at 20 years old, a range he did not have at Georgia. He is competing for the fifth big man spot in 2026-27; he needs Gueye's foot to keep him out into the season and to beat out Ejiofor for those minutes before he is worth a deep-league roster spot.
Career sources: ESPN player stats · StatMuse 2025-26 season averages · Wikipedia
Open questions
- Does Atlanta treat him as a power forward, small-ball center, or G League development piece?
- Can he beat Ejiofor for the first big minutes created by Gueye's injury?
- Is there meaningful shooting improvement in camp?