This story appears in SLAM 262. Get your copy here.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Nah, Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s dream first season with the Atlanta Hawks, one where he started 71 regular-season games, averaged a career-high 20.8 points and easily won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, wasn’t supposed to thud like it did against the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Over six games, NAW averaged just 13.7 points on 38 percent shooting. He managed only 11 points and 2 assists in the Knicks’ Game 6 clincher, where they clipped the Hawks by 51. Nope, the season where the world finally saw what the Atlanta guard could do in a full season with starter’s minutes wasn’t supposed to wrap like that. 

But that’s exactly what happened. 

“The areas of improvement that may have hindered me in that New York series [need to be sorted out],” says Alexander-Walker, 27. “Why did I not play as well as I did throughout the regular season? Where could I be better? What did the team need that I didn’t provide that the greats provide?”

Alexander-Walker pauses dramatically after the question. He lets the inquiry linger in the air for a second, but he doesn’t allow any self-doubt to hover long. Make that mistake and things can fester. No time for that. 

What we’re witnessing here is growth. Had this playoff series of unfortunate events happened four or five seasons ago, Alexander-Walker may not have responded well. He might have questioned his abilities and been in his head for way too long. But the Toronto-area native is battle-tested. He’s experienced enough ebbs and flows over his career to know that, for a valley to even exist, there must be a peak hiding somewhere.

Though a consensus four-star recruit who starred at Virginia Tech for a couple of seasons, NAW’s early run in the Association was bumpy. The 17th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, Alexander-Walker ultimately landed with the New Orleans Pelicans. He floated between the Pels and their G League squad for a couple of years, never quite fitting either place. He managed 33 starts in 143 games with the NBA franchise. 

He was then sent to Utah in the middle of the ’21-22 campaign, where he mustered five starts in 51 games. 

A year later, he packed his bags again. This time he was traded from Salt Lake City to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota. Three addresses in three seasons might make a real estate agent happy, but it takes a mental toll. Doubt starts setting in. You can’t help but wonder if you’re good enough. Every turnover is scrutinized in your head. 

Back in Utah, Alexander-Walker started seeing a sports psychologist. They’d meet every morning and just talk. He’d use the time to dump whatever it was he was thinking about. They’d privately converse. Alexander-Walker would quietly journal while sitting in the hot tub. Anything on his mind that he couldn’t express with friends he’d share in these chats.

“I always hung my hat on being tough,” Alexander-Walker recalls of his mental state prior to the psyche sessions. “I always felt like that was going to be good enough. That’s the standard that I held myself to. I found my identity and my standard, [but] it was tough to uphold that identity when it’s based on things you can’t control.” 

Like playing time. But what more could Alexander-Walker do? Anthony Edwards was in front of him on the T-Wolves’ depth chart. Still, whenever he got some real action—in the 17 games during Minnesota’s ’24-25 season where NAW saw at least 30 minutes, he averaged a respectable 14.3 points, 3.9 boards and 3.7 assists—he made the most of it. 

Lessons from those morning meetings in Utah helped him weather the dark nights. He knew he was good enough. His family told him he was good enough. Anyone who watched a Minnesota game knew he was good enough. Alexander-Walker just had to patiently wait for the right opportunity to fully prove it.

“I think that kinda always hindered me to a degree—just staying out of my own way throughout situations,” says Alexander-Walker, a proud husband and father of a 2-year-old boy. “I’m my toughest critic. I push myself extremely high. My standard is of nothing less than someone who’s aspiring to always be better. And I think that realization and understanding that not everything is going to be perfect [helps me to succeed].”

The ideal situation would finally appear. The Atlanta Hawks were a middling franchise that seemingly got a kick out of participating in the NBA Play-In Tournament every year. They had Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, but they were missing another certified shooting threat. Alexander-Walker appeared a good fit who could contribute immediately. Even better, Atlanta’s head coach, Quin Snyder, was someone Alexander-Walker knew well from his Jazz days. 

“My goal was NBA Sixth Man of the Year,” admits Alexander-Walker. “That was something I had set out to do because I thought, You know what? I’m stepping into a larger role, playing more minutes and coming off the bench. I felt like I could add so much value to a second unit, having the freedom to kinda be responsible for that [group]. It’s very seldom that you go from the eighth, ninth or 10th guy to now you’re a starter. Rarely in life do things skyrocket in such a dramatic fashion, especially at the highest level.”

But you know how the old saying goes—if you stay ready for your first NBA starting gig, you never have to get ready for it. Coach Snyder tinkered with the roster early in the season, but once Trae Young got injured and subsequently traded, space in the rotation and around the three-point line freed up permanently. NAW seized his opportunity, scoring 20 or more in 46 games with the Hawks this past season.

His official coming-out party came on March 16, 2026, against Orlando. That night, Alexander-Walker engraved his name on the Most Improved Player trophy by dropping 41 on the Magic with a smooth mix of pull-up threes, back-down layups and filthy mid-range daggers. It was a virtuoso performance that reminded many around the NBA of someone else.

Two-time League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is Nickeil’s first cousin. Alexander-Walker has had a front-row seat to his greatness at every level—the driveway, AAU, high school, college and the NBA. Forget the smooth J and unrelenting D; the one thing NAW has always been in awe of with SGA is his consistency. Didn’t matter if cuz was coming off an ugly shooting night or giving an acceptance speech for an award, he remained steady. 

“Outside of Shai and Wilt [Chamberlain], it’s hard to go 82 games at a high, high clip,” says Alexander-Walker, who also demonstrated the family’s reliability gene this year by scoring in double figures in 76 of his 78 contests. “Shai had some games where he was probably 8 of 22. He had some games where he was probably 9 of 26. But at the end of the day, it’s deeper than that. I think I’m starting to understand that now better than ever.”

It’s tough not to compare yourself with the greats when you’re aspiring for greatness yourself. Even tougher not to compare yourself with them when they’re sitting right across the dinner table from you. 

“It’s pretty crazy growing up with [Gilgeous-Alexander],” says Alexander-Walker, who was actually rated slightly higher than his cousin when they both came out of Hamilton Heights Christian Academy. “Watching from afar and up close and playing with him in every version that you could imagine, I think he [understands] the game. He has this poise about him that all the great players have when you listen to them speak or when you hear an interview with Michael Jordan or Kobe. The mindset, the approach, the feel to the game and that consistency.”

Playoff consistency, getting to the free-throw line more and embracing contact are all areas where Alexander-Walker wants to better his game. Figure those things out and the streets really won’t be able to differentiate him from his cousin. Knock out the Knicks, or whomever it is standing in front of Atlanta next postseason, and he’ll have the city eating out of his hands. 

“I want to become a winner,” says Alexander-Walker. “My goal is to try to master my craft. Until I’ve done that, I think I’m not satisfied. But I’ve noticed that a lot of things come with [winning], like All-NBA and All-Star [selections]. As you continue to master your craft, you stumble upon those things. Those are the indicators that I’m going in the right direction. Those are signs for me that I’m heading the right way, if I’m able to obtain an All-Star bid, All-NBA and, maybe, an MVP. Those things are next, but they’re not at the forefront.” 

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Action photos via Getty Images.