Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s value was on full display in his performance in a win the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, where he dropped 34 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds a block and a steal while shooting 6/11 from three. Alexander-Walker was the Atlanta Hawks’ lead creator for large swaths of the game, using his shifty ball handling in tandem with his ridiculous length to create easy looks.
The match against the Sixers was insane, and the Hawks needed every last point Alexander-Walker dropped. He picked up his fifth foul with just a minute left, but he managed to get through the remaining 10 minutes of play without fouling. The game went into double overtime, with both Atlanta and Philly choking a comfortable lead with seconds remaining by missing key free throws. NAW and Jalen Johnson’s 41 points were ultimately enough for Atlanta to pull ahead for the victory.
Trae Young’s knee injury came at the worst possible time. The team had little chemistry after making three moves for major rotation pieces, and they had no backup point guard to speak of. Hawks fans, myself included, braced for a harsh start to the winter in Atlanta after learning the Oklahoma product was out for at least one month.
Against all odds, Nickeil has been everything the Hawks needed and more
NAW has stepped into the starting point guard role with Young sidelined, and he has thrived in this role. His numbers are up across the board, with his 19.3 points a night being a 105% increase from his tally in his final year in Minnesota. Coming into Atlanta, everyone knew Alexander-Walker could defend and space the floor. Many even raved about his ability to attack a closeout with two sharp dribbles and a quick decision.
What nobody expected was that NAW would be able to hold the fort down as the full-time point guard. He’s not playing as a traditional point guard, with Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson also shouldering part of Young’s responsibility, and he has a major turnover problem in this role. But when Young returns, Alexander-Walker has set himself up to be the perfect option alongside Atlanta’s franchise man.
At this point, NAW deserves to start, as do Young, Johnson, and one of Kristaps Porzingis/Onyeka Okongwu. The final starting spot should be a case-by-case deployment of either Daniels or Zaccharie Risacher. In some matchups, the opponent has a superstar or two elite perimeter threats that call for Daniels’ superior individual defense. Against teams with balanced offensive attacks or strong help defense, perhaps the three point ability and all-around nature of Risacher would be more useful.
Games like Sunday’s against Philly show just how impactful Alexander-Walker can be. Who knows how high the ceiling of this full-strength roster can be? Atlanta sits at fifth in the East with a 13-8 record, and should be even better with Young back to playing QB of the offense.
