Nickeil Alexander-Walker made a statement in the Atlanta Hawks’ Monday night matchup, dropping 22 first-half points en route to a blowout win over the Grizzlies.
Alexander-Walker is in the middle of quite a breakout season and is a favorite among many analysts to take home the Most Improved Player award. After establishing himself as an elite bench option in Minnesota, the Canadian two guard was unexpectedly elevated into Atlanta’s starting lineup in just the sixth game of the season after Trae Young fell to a right knee injury.
NAW has thrived in the new role, more than doubling his points per game from 9.4 to 20.3 while increasing his true shooting from 57.9% to 59.6%. This increase in both volume and efficiency is unheard of, particularly from a player who isn’t branded as an offense-first player.
In the rare case a player increases their scoring volume and efficiency, their defense typically falls off a cliff. Take Alexander-Walker’s star teammate Jalen Johnson as an example – a similar increase in both volume and efficiency sapped his motor, leaving him a neutral to negative player on defense despite earning a reputation as a solid defender. He's still a Most Improved Player candidate himself, but he isn't the two-way player he once was.
Alexander-Walker heard the noise and responded appropriately
As the end of the season draws near, attention has turned towards the looming award nominations. While the infamous 65-game rule has captivated many, those who enjoy watching basketball more than complaining about it have noticed that there is an extremely tight race for the Most Improved Player.
Alexander-Walker has been in MIP talks all season long, but Atlanta’s newfound team success has elevated him back up the leaderboards alongside his aforementioned teammate Jalen Johnson.
With Johnson out against the tanking Grizzlies, Alexander-Walker stepped up as a scorer and passer. He only played 26 minutes, as the Hawks held an absurd 41-point lead entering the final period, but he didn’t need long to make his mark on this game. He went for 26 points, 6 assists, 2 boards, and a steal on 8/11 from the field, 4/6 from three, and a perfect 6/6 from the line. His +29 plus/minus was second-highest on the team, trailing just CJ McCollum.
Recency bias is a logical trap that is near impossible to avoid. I usually lament the hasty decisions resulting from recency bias, but in the case of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, I wouldn’t mind a few hot games over the end of the season to cloud the minds of voters and swing the vote towards the new Atlanta man.