Asa Newell's big preseason was a sizable step in becoming a staple in the Hawks' game-to-game rotation throughout the regular season.
Unfortunately for Newell, the Hawks' rotation - even after absorbing two unfortunate injury blows this summer (Mo Gueye and Henri Veesaar) - is as deep as ever, and it may leave Asa on the outside looking in.
At least for the foreseeable future, Newell will have to lay in wait for a 20+ minutes per game type role, thanks to the presence of a handful of talented frontcourt assets the Hawks possess.
The frontcourt glut of minutes - Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson
As long as Okongwu and JJ are around, it will be difficult for any prospective frontcourt player to earn a significant share of leftover minutes available in Atlanta.
While Johnson doesn't command small-ball center minutes, his presence severely limits playing time for players prolific at the 4-5 position - Asa Newell certainly included. Johnson is poised to position himself squarely in the middle of the MVP race this season, assuming a season full of wins for the Hawks.
On the flipside, Okongwu has firmly established himself as the starting center in Atlanta since the departure of Clint Capela a few seasons ago. All of Atlanta's most lethal lineups feature him locking down the middle - don't expect this to change anytime soon.
Jock Landale's minutes rising over Newell is a sign of things to come
It doesn't help Newell's case for minutes that Jock Landale had arguably an even better preseason than the youngster out of Georgia.
Landale has already proven himself to Coach Snyder - last season, prior to exiting with a right high-ankle spreain, Landale was making his presence felt with physical defense and elite floor-spacing ability at the five. It's not ridiculous to say that Atlanta would've been much more competitive with the champs had he been present.
So long as Landale, Okongwu and Johnson hold down the frontcourt, Newell will be forced to play in more of a relegated role, similar to his rookie campaign. From a team standpoint, it's certainly a sizable boon to be able to trot out a player of Newell's caliber either off the deep bench or slotting into a larger role in the event of injury.
From a player standpoint, however, Newell is no doubt hungry to carve out an even more substantial role. For now, at least, he'll have to wait a little longer.
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