Why Asa Newell Is One Of The Most Unique Players Of The 2025 Class

After a quieter group in 2024, the 2025 NBA Draft Class has bred a great deal of excitement. Stars like Cooper Flagg and Derik Queen have everyone hungry to see what this generation of players is capable of doing.

However, we need to be careful not to forget about their high school teammate at Monteverde Academy, former five-star recruit Asa Newell.

After a decorated high school career, Newell spent one year with the Georgia Bulldogs before declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft. For those who aren’t overly familiar with his game, the best sales pitch for it is that Newell arguably has the most complete combination of the two attributes the game of basketball biases toward the most: size and shooting.

Size

Since the sport was invented, basketball has favored the more vertically-gifted. At 6’9 with a 6’11 wingspan, Newell has the physical tools to excel at the next level.

His size isn’t just for show, either. Newell leverages his stature to help whatever team he plays for dominate the possession game.

Because he played at such an esteemed high school alongside such talented teammates, Newell never had the opportunity to take a play off. Routine practices took on the intensity of an NBA playoff series. These conditions gave rise to a motor that few other players can match.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Newell told me in an interview for Forbes. “I went to Monteverde to play against the best competition. And, you know, just being able to practice against each other, watch how fast we move, how hard we work, it was an experience that made us all better.”

While Newell was a beneficiary of playing alongside the nation’s best, he also contributed to their growth as well. Battling with Flagg and Queen on a daily basis certainly gets the competitive juices flowing. However, Newell grew up in a family where giving it your all wasn’t just a cool fad. It was a way of life.

One example he cited to me was how his parents would drive from Destin, Florida, to Orlando (roughly a seven hour drive) every single weekend for his AAU tournaments. Seeing how much his parents were willing to sacrifice to see him succeed inspired young Newell to never stop reaching for the stars.

He also had a shining example of what it takes to make it to the Division I level in his older brother, Jaden. Jaden walked on at Georgia in 2023, and last season, the two brothers got to play alongside one another (earning their associate degrees together in the process).

“Playing basketball with him has been amazing,” Newell noted. “He pushes me in ways that few others can.”

From a basketball standpoint, Newell’s experiences with hard work and determination have manifested themselves into a never-ending urge to hunt offensive rebounds. According to KenPom, Newell had the fifth-highest offensive rebounding percentage in the SEC (the best conference in college basketball this season).

Having a player who is constantly creating second chances for your team is a huge boost to your offense. Just look at the Houston Rockets, who, despite their poor shooting (23rd in effective field goal percentage), still managed to have the second-best regular season team in the Western Conference in large part because of their league-leading offensive rebounding.

Shooting

At this point, every NBA player has size or shooting as a bow in their quiver. Having one of these tools is basically a requirement for entry in today’s NBA landscape. However, having both these variables on your side takes from good to extremely dangerous.

At a glance, Newell doesn’t seem like a credible shooter. He shot just 29.2% from downtown in his lone season at Georgia. But keep in mind, that was just a 33-game sample size, and 3-point shooting is an incredibly volatile stat.

All his other indicators suggest that he can be an effective spacer at the NBA level. Newell shot 74.8% from the free throw line, he was allowed to attempt the fourth-most threes on the team (a coach wouldn’t give you the green light if they didn’t think you could shoot), and his shooting motion is quick and easily replicable.

Newell’s blend of functional size and shooting potential was unlike any other player in college basketball this year. Of all players to appear in at least 20 games this season, Newell is the only one to average an offensive rebounding percentage of 14% while attempting at least five threes per 100 possessions (per Bart Torvik). Not even National Player of the Year Johni Broome could completely match those numbers.

If that wasn’t promising enough, to ensure that his shot will translate at the next level, Newell has been working diligently to eliminate any wasted movements from his jumper.

“I’ve really been working hard to improve my 3-point shot,” Newell told me. “It’s not even that it’s a weakness. I just think I had a lot of wasted movements. At Georgia, I would catch the ball and bring it way down before launching it. Now, I’m just catching and shooting it.”

Other Key Skills

The other parts of Newell’s game that many draft analysts have focused on are his scoring efficiency (80th percentile true shooting percentage in SEC) and ability to guard multiple positions on defense.

The former is a testament to his affinity for battling inside and securing good positions for layups (see tweet above) and putbacks around the rim. Meanwhile, the latter is a byproduct of his upbringing.

“My dad owned a CrossFit gym. So, I grew up doing all sorts of squats, deadlifts, and different ladder drills. I also played soccer and swam,” Newell revealed. “Working on my body and coordination in all these different ways really helped me grow up to be quicker/more agile than most people my size.”

The Bottom Line

Newell’s blend of size, shooting, inside efficiency, and positional versatility puts him in a unique archetype of player.

During our conversation, one former NBA player Newell mentioned attempting to emulate was Chris Bosh, and when you really diagram it out, he isn’t that far off from the eleven-time All-Star. Both are left-handed power forwards who tout a great deal of skill on both the interior and the perimeter.

Reaching the same heights as a Hall of Famer is a lofty goal to put on a 19-year-old, but the fact that Newell even has the same outline as someone like Bosh makes him one of the most interesting players in his class.