The prize acquisition for the Atlanta Hawks last offseason was the free agent signing of Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
During his previous two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Alexander-Walker became a premier sixth man off the bench. He averaged 8.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during that time, but his iron-man status was becoming apparent.
These days, it is rare to see players play 82 games in a season. In fact, between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Alexander-Walker was one of only five players to play at least 164 games across those two seasons. He shared that honor with Mikal Bridges, Buddy Hield (166 games played), Jalen Green and Harrison Barnes.
Unfortunately for Timberwolves fans, Minnesota couldn’t retain him, and the Hawks jumped at the chance to sign him. Last summer, Alexander-Walker signed a four-year/$60.4 million contract with Atlanta, and he has already proven to be one of the best additions of the offseason.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s Early-Season Adjustment
For most players, their role with a team is already established. Alexander-Walker came to Atlanta with the idea that he was going to come off the bench. With Trae Young and Dyson Daniels occupying the starting spots, Alexander-Walker was expected to be the Hawks’ sixth man.
At first, that is exactly what he was. Before Young went down with his MCL sprain, Alexander-Walker was coming off the bench. That didn’t last long, as the injury to Young forced him into the starting lineup next to Daniels.
In his previous six seasons, Alexander-Walker started just 68 of his 381 games played. This season, he has already started 63 of his 70 games played (as of March 24).
Doubling-Up on Most Improved Player
With his increased role, Alexander-Walker has no doubt played himself into the Most-Improved Player (MIP) conversation. If he does win it, the Hawks would become the first team in NBA history to have a player on the team win the MIP award in consecutive seasons — Daniels won the award last season with Atlanta.
In terms of his case, he has a strong one. Not only has Alexander-Walker started more than double the number of games he did with Minnesota last season, but he has doubled his scoring average as well. Alexander-Walker has increased his scoring average from 9.4 points per game last season to 20.4 points per game (career-high) this season.
His shot attempts have doubled as well, and his percentages are improving. Alexander-Walker is averaging career-highs across the board in minutes per game (33.1), field goal attempts (15.3), three-point attempts (8.0) and free-throw attempts (3.9).
He is shooting 44.9% from the field, 39.2% from three and 90.1% from the free-throw line. These are all career-best numbers, which is impressive considering his volume doubled from last season.
The month of March has been particularly good to Alexander-Walker. Atlanta is 11-1 in March, and he’s been a major reason why.
Elevating Atlanta
An easy way to exemplify Alexander-Walker’s impact this season is by looking at his on-off numbers. That is, comparing how good the Hawks are with him on the floor versus when he’s on the bench. When on the court this season, Atlanta has a NET rating of +3.4 and a 117.9 offensive rating.
Among players with at least 1800 minutes played for the Hawks this season, Alexander-Walker is second on the team in both NET rating and offensive rating.
On the defensive end, Head Coach Quin Snyder raved about Alexander-Walker’s “elite” defense.
Because of Daniels’ elite perimeter defense, he is often draws the toughest matchups. In fact, he ranks sixth in the NBA in matchup difficulty. However, together, both he and Alexander-Walker are a lethal defensive backcourt. Collectively, they average 7.6 deflections per game on average. Moreover, the Hawks have a defensive rating of 113.6 in over 1300 with the duo on the floor.
In spite of all the injuries and roster turnover, Alexander-Walker’s play has allowed Atlanta to reach 40 wins, which matches the total from last season with 10 more games to play (as of March 24). Currently, Alexander-Walker is +135 to win the MIP award (via FanDuel Sportsbook). Even if he doesn’t win, it is not hard to see why he’s been an amazing pick-up for the Hawks this season and beyond.
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