Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s opening statement was loud, timely, and hard to ignore.
A season after putting together the best year of his career, the Hawks guard looked like a player who may have found another gear in Atlanta’s win over the Orlando Magic. He poured in 31 points, knocked down 5 of 8 from deep, and scored 11 of those points in the fourth quarter. When the game tightened late, he delivered the biggest shots on the floor, burying a pair of threes that helped close the door for Atlanta.
That kind of performance carries weight because Alexander-Walker is no longer just trying to prove last season was real. After a sign-and-trade in the summer of 2025 brought him from Minnesota to Atlanta, he was projected as a strong bench piece alongside Trae Young and Dyson Daniels.
But Young went down with an injury not long after the season began, Alexander-Walker moved into the starting lineup, and the opportunity turned into a breakout. He went on to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award and put himself in the conversation as someone who could be headed for an All-Star appearance down the line.
Still, a breakout season always invites doubt. And for Alexander-Walker, some of that skepticism came after a quiet first-round playoff series against the Knicks.
Against Orlando, though, he looked fully in command, and he did it against one of the league’s best defenses. He also set a career high in free throw attempts, with most of his damage coming after halftime. That made the foul trouble he dealt with in the first half even more notable, because he said it affected how he was able to settle into the game.
"Well, I disturbed myself in the first half. You know, I couldn't stay on the floor with the foul trouble, and I think that played a big role into it.
I think the rhythm started to build towards the end of the first into the second, and then... Honestly, just shout out to Wig (Aaron Wiggins), shout out to Jock (Landale), Kingston (Flemings).
They've been making my life a lot easier. And Dyson (Daniels), JJ, O, they've already been doing that.
And with this group, just finding something that works as well with them. The rhythm with them starts to build, and I can just feel it."
Alexander-Walker also made it clear he isn’t interested in chasing outside narratives. His focus, he said, is simply being himself.
"I think the main thing is just for me to continue to be myself. I'm making my own identity.
Allowing God to use me in this way to put that out there. I stopped worrying about the narrative that I can create because there's always somebody that's going to hate.
There's always somebody that's going to cheer you up. And I started to realize that I don't have any need to put a message out there.
I'm secure in who I am. And if I had a need to put a message out there...
It'll only be about my team, not really about myself."
It’s still early, and nobody is pretending one game settles anything. But for Atlanta, it was an encouraging start from one of its most gifted players.
The Hawks get another look at him Friday night on the road at Charlotte at 7:00 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Hawks Win Over Magic Ends With Rivalry Tension Fans Will Notice
The Hawks opened their Southeast Division schedule with a 132-125 win over Orlando, extending their recent edge in the matchup to six straight. It was the kind of game that had enough offense to feel like a statement and enough edge to feel personal, with Paolo Banchero pouring in 35 points for the Magic while Jalen Johnson answered with 20 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta.
The competitive tone carried into the final seconds, and the finish had a little more bite than a typical regular-season opener. After the final horn, the emotions spilled over between Banchero and Johnson, with teammates and staff stepping in to calm things down and keep the moment from turning into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Quin Snyder May Already Have A New Hawks Closer
In the Hawks season opener against the Magic, Aaron Wiggins quickly found himself in the kind of role teams usually reserve for players they trust when the game tightens. Quin Snyder leaned on him for meaningful minutes throughout the night, a sign that the newcomer was not just filling space in the rotation but was already being treated like someone who could stay on the floor when it mattered.
Wiggins rewarded that trust with a steady two-way showing, mixing scoring with activity on the glass and in the passing lanes while knocking down shots from deep. For a Hawks team still sorting out its late-game identity this early in the season, the bigger question is how long this level of confidence from Snyder lasts and whether Wiggins can keep turning opportunity into a closing role. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Try To Stay Unbeaten With One Roster Question Looming
After opening the season with a win over Orlando, the Hawks head into their matchup with the Hornets with an early chance to build on that momentum. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels helped set the tone in the opener, and Atlanta has already shown enough to suggest its rotation can withstand a few bumps this early in the schedule.
The injury report, though, gives the Hawks one lingering roster wrinkle to sort through. Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar are both out, with Gueye still working back from a summer foot injury and Veesaar sidelined for the season, leaving Atlanta to keep juggling depth as it tries to stay unbeaten. [Read more 🡒]