Nickeil Alexander-Walker continues to make his case for the 2026 NBA Most Improved Player Award, this time with a gorgeous defensive evening in an upset victory against the New York Knicks.
While NAW's shot has appeared to take an early trip to Cancun thus far in the 2026 Playoffs, his defense is as impenetrable as it's ever been—if not more.
Thanks to Alexander-Walker—as well as the Knicks' incredibly heliocentric offense centered around star point guard Jalen Brunson—Quin Snyder has been able to make a creative adjustment to offset the offensive woes of another Hawks guard.
Dyson Daniels' anti-gravity hampers Hawks' spacing and interior attack
As poor as Alexander-Walker's shooting has been, it's far from the worst offensive curse that Atlanta has managed to survive through two rugged games in The Big Apple.
Even though NAW's shot hasn't been falling, at least defenders respect it—the same cannot be said for Dyson Daniels. Through the first seven quarters of the series, Coach Snyder stood helpless while the Knicks sagged further and further off the ice-cold Daniels from long range.
It's nothing more than a continuation of a year-long trend from opposing defenses—Dyson Daniels ranked fourth-worst amongst NBA guards in "gravity" rating this season.
Besides the obvious offensive liability that is Daniels' 3-point shot, the ability he's given New York bigs Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson the ability to freely roam off of him and contest otherwise high-percentage interior looks for his teammates.
While Daniels' prolific defensive efforts would still be critical in spite of his poor offense against nearly any other foe, the Knicks are unique in their heliocentrism in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
While other teams boast dynamic duos that demand equal attention from the Hawks' stud defensive pairing of Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels (e.g., Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell), the Knicks are fully centered around Jalen Brunson's offense—an Achilles' heel that Quin Snyder was quick to exploit.
Snyder placed all of his trust in Alexander-Walker to single-handedly defend Brunson down the stretch, forgoing Daniels' secondary defensive abilities for Kuminga's stronger offensive abilities—a decision that worked to perfection.
Alexander-Walker's matchup against Brunson is a dream scenario for ATL
NAW's lockdown defense against Brunson in the clutch with Dyson Daniels on the bench proved Quin's theory right—as long as the Hawks have one of the elite defensive duo on the court to neutralize Brunson's offensive engine, Atlanta is in good shape.
Typified by Alexander-Walker's 2021 Jrue Holiday-esque steal and toss-ahead for a transition basket in the clutch, Brunson's offensive woes down the stretch ultimately cost his Knicks a vital Game 2 victory, and it was all thanks to NAW.
If Alexander-Walker can continue to shut down Brunson's attack on offense, and potentially pair it with an improved jumper from the first two games, look out New York—this is a hungry Hawks team with everything to prove, and all the momentum in the world.
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