Remember the hype that surrounded the 2019 Duke Blue Devils?
A team boasting Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Cameron Reddish, and even Tre Jones… phew. Despite their early exit against Michigan State, Duke's elite core (minus Tre, who waited another year) headlined a draft that many heralded as the best since 2003.
Joining the Duke trio were Ja Morant, DeAndre Hunter, Darius Garland, and a plethora of other elite prospects before Nickeil Alexander-Walker, ultimately selected 17th overall. At the time, it would have been preposterous to label NAW as the top player in the class. Even a year ago, you'd have been met with significant backlash.Â
Now, things have changed: NAW has a significant argument as the best player in his once-legendary 2019 draft class.
Zion Williamson and Ja Morant: a fall from grace
The big names that still remained firmly ahead of Alexander-Walker prior to the 25-26 season were, of course, the top two selections in the class: Zion to the Pelicans, and Morant to the Grizzlies.
Zion's stock has risen and fallen at an extremely sinusoidal level. At his best, he's an unstoppable downhill force with playmaking, rebounding, and defensive upside thanks to his elite athleticism. There's no better example of this than his 40-point, 76% from the floor stat line on a mere 27 minutes against (nearly) prime Anthony Davis in the 2024 Play-In Tournament against the Lakers.
At his worst, he's getting paid a hefty sum of cash to ride the New Orleans bench, which is exactly what happened in the 4th quarter of that very same game against Los Angeles.Â
Currently, Zion's taken a more team-first role with a healthier Pelicans squad. While his availability has been extremely encouraging this year, his raw numbers have been suppressed. Having averaged 27 PPG in his sophomore season, he's now only averaging just over 21 PPG this campaign.
Jumping over to Memphis, Ja Morant has experienced a similar decline in recent years. While health hasn't quite marred his career to the extent that it has Zion (though, it should be noted Morant has only appeared in 79 total games since the 2022-2023 season) it's more so been his inconsistency, inefficiency, and fading athleticism that critics have attacked ravenously.
Ja's stock peaked in 2022 when he finished 7th in MVP voting at the age of 22, averaging 27, 7, and 6 on extremely solid 49.3 FG% and 34.4 3P%, considering his large shot volume and difficult shot diet. Since then, his efficiency has dipped considerably. Ja's 3-point shot has suffered the most, ranging yearly from 30.9% at best to 23.5% at worst.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker's rapid ascent in Atlanta
Outside of Zion and Ja's decline, Alexander-Walker has risen significantly. He's firmly established himself as a most improved player candidate for the 2025-2026 season and may very well take the trophy home at the end of the year.
NAW has demonstrated his elite 2-way ability far beyond the capacities of any other player in the draft class. In a league that continues to value 3&D wings with upside more and more, NAW is paralleled only by PJ Washington in this class as a true 2-way talent.
In addition to his 3&D shell that he began to establish in Minnesota, Alexander-Walker has also developed a prolific ability to score as a secondary option. Behind Jalen Johnson and CJ McCollum, the Hawks have generated easy offensive looks time and again this year off the dribble, thanks to NAW.
Without Morant and Williamson seeing consistent, elite production they were accustomed to years ago, the window is wide open: who else can challenge NAW? Talents like Tyler Herro, Darius Garland, PJ Washington, RJ Barrett, Keldon Johnson, Kevin Porter Jr., and Nic Claxton are the only names that have a case. Personally, I'm taking Alexander-Walker’s play over any of them this year.
While it might be a tad too early to call the race over yet, Nickeil Alexander-Walker has made a very convincing case that he's the best in the 2019 class this season, and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if this trend continued well into the future.