Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Wendell Moore
By Bret Stuter
Bench: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has serious upside
It was no small feat for a young NBA player to be anointed as a starter for Round 1 of the 2023 NBA Players after playing just 23 games for the Timberwolves with 0 starts. Yet, that is how the story goes for newly added Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The 6-foot-5 veteran wing fits the prototypical 3-and-D wing role for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Entering his fifth NBA season, Alexander-Walker has the potential to break into double-digit scoring for the Timberwolves while maintaining a formidable defensive presence on the basketball court.
The challenge for NAW is not generating points or shunting opposing scorers, but completing both tasks simultaneously.
Upside is promising
The upside for Nickeil Alexander-Walker is that he is back on the Timberwolves roster, and will get a full season to compete on this team this year. His last full season for the same team was the 2020-21 season for the New Orleans Pelicans, a year in which he boasted 11.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.5 BPG, and 1.0 SPG. He played 46 games for the Pelicans that season, 33 of them by coming off the bench.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is getting great experience playing for Team Canada in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Tournament. Throughout the competition, he has remained a key rotational player who contributes both offensively and defensively on the basketball court.