Photo by Garret Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
What did the young Hawks show us?
2025 Las Vegas Summer League has concluded, and the Atlanta Hawks were able to show off their young talent en route to a 4-1 showing in the format.
With all eyes on players both new and returning, let’s take stock after the five-game slate and see what each of the prominent Hawks did with their opportunities.
Stock Up
Asa Newell
After a quiet first game, the rookie first rounder sure found his footing.
For one, who knew he had this kind of shot from outside? The mechanics already look smoother than last year in college as he drained 6-for-14 (43%) of his attempts from deep in four games. It’s a small sample, so don’t think he turned into a stretch big overnight (especially after a 29% three-point shooting career at Georgia), but this development is still encouraging.
Elsewhere, once he tapped into his physical strengths, he began overpowering opponents with his length and leaping ability to pounce on rebounds and finish around the rim. Newell filled the box score in averaging 14 points, eight rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block on 25 minutes a game, and accordingly his chances at cracking the frontcourt rotation have ticked upwards over the past two weeks.
Jacob Toppin
Toppin had to pull out of the rest of the competition after the third game due to a hip injury sustained in the overtime thriller against the Houston Rockets. But for those two and half games, he looked like the Hawks’ MVP. In 23 minutes a game, he averaged 15.3 points on an efficient 57/40/67 shooting and generally looked too good for Vegas.
He showcased an all-around mastery of the game between his shooting, handle, activity and communication among the many contributions for the squad. Toppin looks nothing short of a strong two-way contract forward who could even find his way into the Hawks rotation at some point in next calendar year.
Eli N’Diaye
Sadly, the other two-way player on the summer team could muster just one game due to a wrist injury. But in that one game, he showed strength, burst, and agility rare for a previously unknown 21-year-old who went the Real Madrid academy to senior team route as opposed to the collegiate route.
N’Diaye was seemingly everywhere on most defensive possessions, deflecting passes and providing deterrence at the rim despite a listed 6-foot-8 height. That plus a functional handle, outside shot, and strong rebounding means he could continue to turn heads going forward this season with the Hawks.
Nikola Djurisic
This time around, Djurisic had a stronger summer — not just on the court but also in his wallet. Before the first game even tipped off,
he earned some guaranteed dough heading into the regular season. That was a pleasant reward for a player who had a long journey back from a nasty foot fracture suffered last Summer League.
While his debut game was filled with defensive blunders, and he still has a way to go towards playing consistent team defense, his floor vision and scoring in Summer League showed marked improvement from last season until now. The stats don’t wow you — 11.8 points per game on 47% shooting (55% true shooting), 3.5 assists (but 2.2 turnovers per game), and pedestrian ‘hustle’ stats — but Djurisic largely looked in control when handling the ball and operating as a secondary playmaker.
At just 21 years old and making the absolute minimum salary for a standard contract player with no financial obligations beyond 2025-26 from the team’s side, there’s little risk in continuing to develop his game as a jumbo creator in a league that increasingly values jumbo creators.
Stock Holding
Kobe Bufkin
A third-year former first-round pick should dominate this competition. Bufkin didn’t quite do that, and even wearing rose-colored glasses his performance was no better than up and down.
He did manage to stay healthy for the entire competition for the first time in three years and show flashes, but after shooting just 38% from the floor (50% true shooting percentage) and having some issues with turnovers, there remain concerns for Bufkin — who now sees fierce competition at the backup guard spots on the standard roster.
Per
Keith Smith of Spotrac, a Hawks scout had this to say about his summer:
I’m a little worried about him. Athletically, he’s fine. He’s too quick and too strong for guys here (Las Vegas Summer League). But he’s got to shoot it better. And he has to stay healthy. Hopefully it will come together for him.
He may have a chance to prove himself further in training camp and preseason, but despite being available, working hard on defense, and clearly proving he’s back from his shoulder injury, he still faces an uphill climb towards significant minutes for the team this season by the looks of it.
Stock Down
Lamont Butler
The defensive-minded undrafted rookie guard Butler
was reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune to have a two-way contract figuratively on the table right after the draft. But with all three spots now filled (Toppin, N’Diaye, and Keaton Wallace), no further word on his contractual status, and zero on-court action in Las Vegas due to an ankle injury, his status for the franchise going forward is a complete mystery.
If I had to guess, at best he’ll now pen an Exhibit 10 deal (an unguaranteed training camp deal) with the Hawks and eventually end up on the College Park Skyhawks roster for the next step in his development.
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