The Hawks got the result they needed Monday night, even if the circumstances around it were far from ideal. A down-to-the-wire win over an Indiana Pacers team that had just six players available is not the kind of victory that turns heads, but Atlanta will take it. A win is a win.
What stood out most was how much the Hawks leaned on Nickeil Alexander-Walker to get there. Atlanta’s hot first-half shooting helped build the lead, but Alexander-Walker was the one constant from opening tip to final horn. Once again, he was the player who steadied the Hawks when they needed it most.
That has become a theme early in the season, and it’s a big reason Atlanta hasn’t dug a deeper hole for itself. The Hawks have a habit of starting slowly every year, spending the first few months trying to catch up before the All-Star break.
Last season followed that pattern, though the roster looked very different then. This group knows each other well, but the offense has still been underwhelming.
Alexander-Walker, though, has been more than fine. Through eight games, he’s averaging north of 21 points, three rebounds and two assists while shooting over 40% from deep.
He’s doing it on career-high volume, too. That’s what happens when a player has to shoulder an offense.
For now, Atlanta is simply benefiting from the way he’s carried them to a 4-4 record through eight games. That mark looks better than the overall play has at times, and it has kept the Hawks from slipping into an early-season mess.
There are still rough edges, and Alexander-Walker showed one late against Indiana. A contested three, early in the shot clock, with little game clock left, was not the shot Atlanta wanted. It nearly gave the Pacers a chance to tie or even take the lead.
Still, it’s hard to pin the comeback on him when he was such a big reason the Hawks were ahead in the first place. He’s young, he’s still developing, and the hope in Atlanta is that once everyone is back and clicking the way they were expected to, he won’t have to carry so much of the load. When that happens, he shouldn’t feel the need to force shots like that one.
In Other News...
Hawks Just Got An Unwanted Look At Indianas Next Problem
The Hawks got a long look at Braden Smith on a night when Indiana was stretched thin, and the rookie guard handled the opportunity like someone who had been waiting for it. In his first NBA start, Smith logged heavy minutes and kept the Pacers organized, showing the kind of poise and pace that can change a game even when a roster is short-handed.
Smith finished with 19 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, then drew strong praise from Rick Carlisle for both his performance and his conditioning. For Atlanta, it was a reminder that even in an injury-ravaged lineup, Indiana can still uncover another guard worth tracking, especially one who already sounds comfortable with the challenge of adjusting from college to the league and competing against top defenders. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Suddenly Have A Big Deadline Decision In The Frontcourt
Frontcourt injuries have left Atlanta looking around for help, and the timing could hardly be more interesting. The Hawks have already explored ways to improve the roster, and now a potentially major name has surfaced on the market: ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that Domantas Sabonis wants to leave Sacramento, with the Kings open to trading him.
Atlanta has not been linked to Sabonis specifically, but his availability would at least force a hard look at a position of need. Any pursuit would come with real complications, from the financial lift to the ripple effect on Onyeka Okongwu's role, and the Hawks would also have to weigh whether the fit makes sense on the defensive end. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Fans May Be Split On This Blockbuster Trade Return
A speculative three-team deal is making the rounds that would send Kyrie Irving and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Detroit, while Dallas would take back a package built around young talent and draft flexibility. For Atlanta, the appeal is obvious: the Hawks would be positioned to add a hefty haul of future draft capital and veteran pieces, the kind of return that can reshape a roster timeline in one swing.
Still, the conversation around the proposal is likely to split Hawks fans, because the value on paper is only part of the equation. Any deal like this has to be weighed against what Atlanta is giving up in the present versus what it might gain down the road, and in a trade scenario built around multiple moving parts, the final judgment often comes down to how much faith the front office has in those incoming assets becoming something more. [Read more 🡒]