The Atlanta Hawks will not be leaning into the depths of their youthful rotation anytime soon after they assigned five players to their College Park Skyhawks roster today: Asa Newell, N’Faly Dante, Nikola Djurisic, Caleb Houstan, and Jacob Toppin. The Skyhawks kick off their season in Friday’s G League Tip-Off Tournament.
None of these players have scratched the rotation as of yet. Even Dante, who was expected to receive extended playing time as the third-string center, could only muster a measly 6 minutes a game during Kristaps Porzingis’s two-game absence due to illness.
Newell is the only player of this bunch who has truly impacted a game this season. His NBA debut came in four clutch minutes against the Orlando Magic while the Hawks battled foul trouble. He chipped in five points during Atlanta’s 8-0 run to tie the game, punctuated by a demoralizing lob dunk that forced an Orlando timeout. He followed this with 24 minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder while Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, and Kristaps Porzingis were all sidelined.
He played well against a similarly roughed-up Thunder team, notching his first double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 boards on 3/5 shooting from deep. While these were quite the performances, Snyder clearly does not trust Newell yet; he has played over four minutes just once.
Atlanta will be leaning into their experience to right the ship without their star
Houstan and Toppin are two-way players, which caps them to 50 games played in the big leagues. With a combined 10 minutes played through eight games, this demotion will be good for them. Djurisic isn’t on a two-way, but he is a rookie and the only member of Atlanta’s NBA roster who has not seen playing time. The three wings can find their rhythm against the lesser competition, ready to step into the rotation if injuries strike.
Dante and Newell are a different story. The two bigs have already stepped into the rotation due to a few minor injuries, where they showed fans why the team has faith in them. They will probably be moved back and forth, from Hawks to Skyhawks, throughout the season to maximize their development and impact in the big leagues.
Trae Young’s injury has reduced the margin of error the Hawks have in the early season. The team is talented enough to maintain a record in line with their expectations, but they can’t do this while also handing out developmental minutes. As such, it no longer makes sense for these five players to waste their time on the bench of the NBA team.