Overview
Prior to college, Newton attended Burges High School in El Paso, Texas. Notably, he led the team in scoring as a senior with 37.2 ppg. Newton committed to East Carolina, where he started 19 of 31 games as a freshman. He became a full-time starter as a sophomore in 2020-21. Newton began earning accolades as a junior, being named to the All-AAC Second Team behind 17.7 points, 5.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 34.8 minutes.
Newton transferred to UConn for the 2022-23 season, where he led the team to their fifth NCAA championship as the starting point guard, being named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team. The accolades continued as a fifth-year senior, with Newton leading the Huskies to back-to-back titles. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, not to mention the Bob Cousy (Best PG) Award and an All-American First Team selection. He saw 33.3 minutes per game, averaging 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 0.9 steals.
Analysis
The reason Newton’s stock isn’t higher is due to his shaky 3-point shooting. During his two seasons at UConn, the guard shot 116-for-344 (34%) from deep, though his free-throw shooting (301-371; 81%) was solid. And while Newton is a skilled interior scorer, he’s not a fantastic vertical athlete, limiting what he may be able to accomplish at the rim in the NBA. However, that’s where the weaknesses stop.
Newton is a strong on-ball defender who plays with passion and hustle. He’s smart with the basketball and puts himself and his teammates in a position to succeed. Being the point guard on a back-to-back title team also brings intangibles and a winning attitude to the NBA.
Projection
Newton has drawn comparisons to other defensive-minded, below-the-rim guards like Delon Wright and Kris Dunn. He projects as a second-round draft pick who could contribute as a backup guard. It would be a major boost to Newton’s upside if his 3-ball starts to fall more consistently. That’s ultimately his path to a starting role.
– Profile by RotoWire