Nickeil Alexander-Walker lit up the court during the Atlanta Hawks' Monday night clash, dropping 22 points in the first half alone to help secure a commanding victory over the Grizzlies.
This season, Alexander-Walker has been turning heads, emerging as a strong contender for the Most Improved Player award. After making his mark as a standout bench player in Minnesota, he found himself thrust into Atlanta’s starting lineup early in the season due to Trae Young's right knee injury.
In his new role, Alexander-Walker has flourished, more than doubling his scoring average from 9.4 to 20.3 points per game, while also boosting his true shooting percentage from 57.9% to 59.6%. This kind of leap in both scoring volume and efficiency is rare, especially for someone not traditionally seen as an offensive powerhouse.
What makes Alexander-Walker's rise even more impressive is his ability to maintain defensive intensity. Often, players who ramp up their scoring see a dip in defensive performance.
His teammate Jalen Johnson, for example, has seen his defensive contributions wane despite his own offensive improvements. Johnson remains a contender for Most Improved Player, but his defensive prowess has taken a hit.
As the season winds down, the buzz around award nominations intensifies. While the 65-game rule has sparked debate, fans focused on the game itself have noticed the fierce competition for Most Improved Player. Alexander-Walker has been in the conversation all season, and Atlanta's recent success has only bolstered his case, putting him alongside Johnson in the race.
With Johnson sidelined against the Grizzlies, Alexander-Walker took charge as both a scorer and facilitator. Despite playing just 26 minutes due to Atlanta's massive 41-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, he made a significant impact.
He racked up 26 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal, shooting 8/11 from the field, 4/6 from beyond the arc, and a flawless 6/6 from the free-throw line. His +29 plus/minus was second only to CJ McCollum on the team.
While recency bias can skew perceptions, in Alexander-Walker's case, a few standout performances down the stretch might just sway voters in his favor, cementing his status as Atlanta's rising star.