Nickeil Alexander-Walker reveals key reason why CJ McCollum pairing will work

When the Hawks traded Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, they had the long-term in mind. By acquiring an expiring contract and salary filler, it was clear they weren't entirely focused on the immediate impact of the blockbuster deal.

The contracts they acquired, however, were those of two veterans ready to contribute on a winning roster now. Corey Kispert, the sharpshooting wing involved in the back half of the trade, is still on the younger side. At 26 years old, he has plenty of time to land in a winning situation, making his role this season in Atlanta expendable.

The same cannot be said about CJ McCollum, whose expiring $30.6 million contract was the major asset coming to Atlanta in the deal. While maybe not a part of the long-term plans, McCollum is still playing at a high level, which has unknowingly forced him into a larger role this season than expected.

Everywhere he's been, the 13th-year veteran has received a high usage rate. He wasn't just going to magically become an off-ball magician as soon as he touched down in Atlanta. It was up to the already-rostered Hawks to adjust their playstyles, not McCollum.

One player in particular was expected to see a major decrease in usage after the trade went through. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the veteran guard in the midst of a career-year, has a similar offensive skillset to McCollum.

After already exceeding expectations this season, who's to say he wouldn't do it once more?

NAW is inevitable. Even after the trade that sent another high-scoring guard to his team, Alexander-Walker has continued to thrive. On Monday afternoon against the Milwaukee Bucks, the seventh-year guard almost single-handedly led a spirited comeback, with the Hawks ultimately falling short.

In the matchup, Alexander-Walker scored 32 points (28 in the second half) and racked up six rebounds and six assists. He also knocked down seven threes along the way, with each of them coming in the final two quarters.

Nickeil's been able to stay dominant, despite seeing less on-ball opportunities than before.

After the MLK Day matchup, I got the chance to ask Nickeil about how he and CJ have adjusted to each other's offensive games and how far they could potentially go as a duo:

"You and CJ, both being high-volume, high-scoring guards, how has the adjustment period been, learning how to play alongside each other's similar offensive skillsets?"

Nickeil understood that they wouldn't immediately flow, but that there are ways for them to use their similar abilities to their advantage as the season progresses.

He initially brought up a particular instance in the game that had just concluded, saying, "I think it's just about reading points of attack and playing off-ball with movement. I know in the first half, I had drove, he hit me, set a screen, then I got stopped. He peeled off, I hit him, he was able to drive a close-out and get a lay-up."

"Small things like that, I think, the more we use our skillset tools together, I feel like it’s going to benefit us, and there were times when it did,” Nickeil continued, "It's just about communication and learning CJ. He's also learning us, and what our system is, and where he can be effective."

He noted that while he's communicating to the best of his abilities, he knows there's only so much he can tell a veteran in his thirteenth NBA season.

"I'm going to try my best to be better at communicating. I think the tough thing about it is being in year seven, him being in year thirteen, I'm not trying to come across as the guy that's talking down to, you know, someone who's done this before."

Nickeil concluded by re-emphasizing the importance of building team chemistry as time progresses, saying, "Still having that open communication and say like hey, 'Trust me' or 'What do you see here?', just getting a feel."

Atlanta needs these two to continue on their upward trajectory as a duo if they want to flip the script on an otherwise disappointing year. As proven veteran guards, it's up to them to act fast and improve the franchise's culture before the season gets too out of hand.