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Asa Newell came to Georgia with high expectations, and he quickly lived up to them during his first season. His impressive performance has attracted attention across the conference. On Monday, Newell was selected for the SEC All-Freshman Team. On Tuesday, ESPN provided its projections for the 2025 NBA Draft, with Newell, included.
Newell, listed with a 61 percent true shooting percentage, is projected to go No. 20 overall, to the Brooklyn Nets, where he would join Nic Claxton to give the franchise a Hoop Dawgs frontcourt.
Scouting report: Newell and Georgia bowed out of the first round of the SEC tournament with a loss to Oklahoma, which will lead to a nervous few days on the NCAA tournament bubble heading into Selection Sunday. His size, mobility, aggressiveness and motor helped him to a successful season, as he was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team after leading Georgia in scoring (15.1) and rebounding (6.5). Some questions persist regarding his perimeter shooting, defensive versatility and feel for the game, as he is somewhat of a jack of all trades who is caught between positions with his average length. Nonetheless, he has a solid floor and upside to grow into at 19 years old.
NBA intel and fit: Milwaukee will convey this pick to Brooklyn as one of four first-round selections headed the Nets' way. Though most NBA teams would never consider rostering four rookies, the Nets have few players under guaranteed contracts next season and might be in position to keep all four if they like their options on June 26. Newell is a fairly easy player to plug into most rosters with his ability to crash the offensive glass, score off cuts and rolls, and connect on occasional spot 3s, making him a solid option for teams picking in this range. -- Givony
The Bulldogs' starting center earned this honor after averaging 15.1 points, 6.5 rebounds per game, and shooting 54.0% from the field throughout the season. At 6-foot-11 and 220 pounds, Newell is now the 15th player in program history to receive this distinction.
Newell has started all 31 games for the Bulldogs this season, finishing 28 of those games with double-digit scoring, including four games where he scored 20 or more points. He has led the team in scoring 19 times and in rebounding 14 times. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors four times this season, matching Anthony Edwards for the most Freshman of the Week awards in program history. Newell was the only Bulldog recognized by the conference on Monday, as no Georgia players were selected for any of the three All-Conference teams or the All-Defensive Team.
Georgia wrapped up the regular season with a 20-11 overall record, finishing 8-10 in conference play. They secured the No. 11 seed in this year's SEC Tournament, where they fell 81-75 to No. 14 seed Oklahoma in the opening round. The Bulldogs will now await word on their postseason options with the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship selection show set to air live on CBS, Sunday, March 16, at 6:00 p.m. ET.