Nickeil Alexander-Walker's Next Chapter: Why Atlanta Might Be the Right Place at the Right Time

All of these moves so far have addressed some of the problems they've had both offensively and defensively, particularly in terms of shooting and defense. Adding Alexander-Walker to the roster will help address many of the issues that Atlanta has faced in the past, and he shares the same sentiment regarding his overall potential impact on the team. In his introductory media availability with the Hawks, he spoke about himself and Dyson Daniels' impact coming together on the defensive end:

"On the court, I really have a lot of respect for the way Daniels has been able to kind of, like me coming from New Orleans, and go through a little bit of struggle, and then turn it around, and then find it defensively is inspiring in a sense, because I feel like we walk the same path, so to speak. And I definitely have that understanding of him as a player, and I’m excited. Honestly, I love defending now, and I know that he’s somebody that I can learn from, especially with how he’s able to read passing lanes. It seems like he’s everywhere. Just that period where he’s having like, seven steals, five steals, like video-game numbers defensively, and that’s something I can really add to my game. And I feel like having two pieces like that, and I texted him when he welcomed me, like, just excited to get on the court and to defend and to cause havoc.”

Both players have proven to be reliable defenders. Specifically, Daniels was named a top-three finalist in the Defensive Player of the Year voting this season, and Alexander-Walker has been discussed as one of the league's best defenders. While the previous Hawks' season would be considered by many to be a disappointing one, Alexander-Walker still saw the light at the end of the tunnel for them and says that it played a bit of a factor in why he decided to join the team:

"I would say, for myself, just being able to process what it is that (the Hawks are) trying to do, as well as myself and for me, going into this entire process, I want to be able to still have that impact, to win and compete. And I feel like, here’s a great opportunity. We talked about last season. It felt like it didn’t really, truly depict the team that the Hawks were, injuries and so forth. I think I want to say that going into All-Star (break), or before that, they were doing really well. And those injuries kind of hurt them, but I felt like that was a team that had a lot of potential, especially with the staff, the players — Jalen (Johnson), Trae (Young), Dre (De’Andre Hunter) before he got traded, Vit (Krejci) from when he was with us in training camp with Minnesota, he impressed me, as well. So, I definitely feel like this team has just a lot of versatility in adding KP (Kristaps Porzingis) and adding Luke (Kennard). And I’m just happy that so far everyone up to management has been good people.”

The Hawks finished last season with a 40-42 record with season-ending injuries to multiple starters, and they missed some of their starters to start the season. When healthy for essentially one month in December, the Hawks found themselves in the In-Season-Tournament Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. After this, the Hawks went on to trade both veterans, De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic, to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline.

Lastly, Alexander-Walker discussed the importance he felt of being a leader with this Hawks team going forward in what he wouldn't look at as a veteran role based on his deep playoff experience:

"Honestly, it’s kind of surreal because I never thought I’d be like that ‘vet guy’ with all this playoff experience, especially with just kind of how (my career) started. But honestly, it’s just one thing I’ve learned is just trying to be a great teammate. How can I dive in and be close with everybody? The camaraderie is very important. It’s what holds you up that long into the season. It’s training your body, being tired mentally, tired of the schemes and coming back, and the emotions that can also come with a playoff series. Being able to handle that, I think, like it’s made me more mature. But also just being able to lead by example and just how hard I play and things that I see and always trying to talk and communicate without being annoying as best as possible, is really important. And honestly, these guys are great players. And last season, they had a good chance to do what they really wanted to do it’s just, injuries, so not overstepping, either. You know, just kind of throwing in my 2 cents wherever I see fit.”

The Hawks have found themselves a gem in free agency this summer with the addition of Alexander-Walker, as he will bring an intense brand of basketball on both ends of the court and looks forward to being a team leader. It will be interesting to see how seamlessly he can fit with the retooling of this young Hawks roster and how his leadership role will affect the team's development.

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