In his two full seasons with the Timberwolves, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was an extremely valuable player for them. Despite mostly coming off the bench, he still averaged playing more than half the game (24.4 minutes).
An above-average perimeter defender, Alexander-Walker posted a usage rate of 15.4 percent the last two years for Minnesota. While it’s a small sample size, through Alexander Walker's first six games with the Hawks, it has skyrocketed to 23.5 percent.
Alexander-Walker is a large part of the Hawks' offensive game plan
In Atlanta’s 20-point win over the Pacers Friday night, Alexander-Walker shot 8-14 from the field and finished with 21 points. The 27-year-old is now averaging 17 points per contest this season and has double-digit field goal attempts in all six games. Since a 2-15 clinker in the opener, Alexander-Walker has made exactly half of his field goal attempts since.
The last two seasons, the 6-foot-5 wing did not miss a single outing for Minnesota. In 2024-25, Alexander-Walker took at least 10 shots in 22 games, so barely more than one-quarter of his appearances. The previous year, it was just 10 games in which he did so.
Missed by the Timberwolves through their first five games
Any Wolves fan would likely tell you there was some disappointment when they found out Alexander-Walker would be moving on. He provided immense value off the bench and finished sixth in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season. When the team re-signed both Julius Randle and Naz Reid, though, it became evident that the money wasn't there to bring back Alexander-Walker.
His presence on the defensive end was more appreciated than on offense during his Timberwolves tenure. Sure, he could score, but he didn't average double figures in scoring with Minnesota. Yes, his playing time this year is up a bit with the Hawks, but his 16.8 field goal attempts per 36 minutes is substantially more than the 10.4 he averaged over the previous two years.
Alexander-Walker has been given more opportunities thus far to take it to the basket as well, and his attempts at the line are also significantly higher than during his Minnesota tenure. The seventh-year player has 19 free-throw attempts. He didn't reach that number until the 16th game last season.
With Terrence Shannon Jr. having scoreless outings in two of his last four games, for now, fans are missing Alexander-Walker even more. With the early defensive struggles, the team is missing him on that end as well.