The Atlanta Hawks took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, where they lost 92-115. Atlanta was shorthanded in this one, as Jalen Johnson was ruled out not long before tip-off. If the Hawks, down three starters, were going to be able to make it competitive, they needed a big boost from their breakout star Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
NAW has been on an absolute tear this season. When Trae Young went down with a right MCL sprain, he replaced him in the starting lineup and never looked back. His offensive numbers have been ridiculous. On the season, Alexander-Walker is averaging 20.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 46.2% from the field and 38.7% from three.
His biggest impact, however, has not come on the offensive side of the ball. As ridiculous as it sounds, NAW's focus remains on the defensive end. He has carved out a reputation as a special defender over his career, and that has carried over into his time with Atlanta.
It was no surprise to see Alexander-Walker tasked with defending James Harden on Wednesday night. Atlanta needed their veteran guard to make Los Angeles' main offensive initiator uncomfortable. While completely shutting down Harden is nearly impossible, forcing him to take tough shots and giving him a hard time is what NAW was able to do.
Following the loss to the Clippers, I got the chance to ask Nickeil about what it was like defending the former MVP:
"Nickeil, you had the primary matchup against James Harden tonight, what's it like defending a player of that caliber, and also what were some of the things you liked or disliked about the way you played him tonight?"
He responded with an honest assessment of how he matched up against Harden, detailing what makes him such a difficult cover:
“You know, it’s tough because you have got to make sure that you account for his ability to make plays for himself, and know that he has the vision and capabilities to get guys good shots.”
“You want to slow him down. You want to take him out of his rhythm. You want to send him as many bodies and guide him to things that he doesn’t want to do now: a lot of stepbacks, a lot of rhythm dribbles to get to his pull-up.”
It's true: Harden is not the player he once was. He has found ways to adapt his game to a more team-centric approach, meaning he does not work in isolation as much as he used to. NAW understood that and forced him to take a more traditional approach.
With this heavier offensive load, Harden still dropped 27 points and 9 assists, but he did so while taking 24 shots and not getting to the free throw line once. Alexander-Walker's discipline as a defender made him force contested shots.
NAW continued, highlighting the importance of getting Harden out of his rhythm:
“I think trying to take away his rhythm the best you can. I mean, he’s been doing it for so long. He’s been an MVP in this league multiple times. It’s just about being able to throw different looks at him so he has to constantly switch up the cadence to how he’s playing."
Putting it simply, if a player wants to have a successful night defending an offensive engine like James Harden, they cannot stick to a single defensive scheme. As soon as the 11-time All-Star gets into a groove, consider the game over.
The Hawks lucked out with the signing of Nickeil Alexander-Walker this past offseason. Adding his defensive IQ and blossoming offensive bag to the already cohesive lineup has been the ultimate boost as Atlanta looks to contend in the Eastern Conference.