Last summer, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded former Virginia Tech standout Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the Atlanta Hawks. It ended Alexander-Walker's time in Minnesota. but it opened a new door in the Southeast for the former Hokie.
Alexander-Walker became a key part of the Hawks and was a big reason why they finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and put a scare into the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs before falling in six games to the eventual NBA champs two months later. However, a big reason why Atlanta was in the position they were in was because of Alexander-Walker.
Former Virginia Tech men's basketball standout tabbed one of NBA's most underrated players
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report listed the top 10 most underrated players in the NBA. Alexander-Walker came in at No. 2, right behind Neemias Queta of the Boston Celtics. To say it was a breakout campaign for Alexander-Walker would be an understatement. He won the NBA's Most Improved Award over NBA All-Stars Jalen Duren and Deni Avdija.
"Alexander-Walker made his presence felt at both ends. His offensive output predictably featured a bunch of career-highs, but his defense remained as disruptive as ever. He cracked the 78th percentile in estimated defensive plus/minus while swiping a career-best 1.3 steals per contest,'' wrote Buckley.
It was a career year in terms of some numbers for Alexander-Walker. He averaged a career-high 20.8 points in 78 games, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He shot 90.2% from the free-throw line and just under 40% from behind the arc. Buckley believes it's almost time to consider him a two-way star.
"Is anybody talking about him as a two-way star or something close to it? Because it kinda seems like we all should,'' Buckley added.
A breakout season should be just the beginning for Alexander-Walker in Atlanta, and Buckley said the quiet part out loud about the 27-year-old. The 6-foot-5 guard is part of the new-look Hawks who are about to become a tough team for the top teams in the conference to play against.
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