The Atlanta Hawks made one of the more underrated moves last summer with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In early July, they acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Minnesota for a second-round 2027 draft pick and cash considerations.
It ended up being a sign-and-trade deal between the clubs. Atlanta was looking to add some scoring and defense, and Alexander-Walker was a role player for the Timberwolves. It certainly has been quite the upgrade for the Hawks and coach Quin Snyder. On Monday night, Alexander-Walker added his name to the franchise record books in his first season in Atlanta against the New York Knicks.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Sets Franchise Record in Atlanta Hawks Loss to New York Knicks
In the third quarter of New York’s 108-105 win in Atlanta, Alexander-Walker set the Hawks franchise record for made 3-pointers in a season with 241. He passed Bogan Bogdanovich’s 240. He recently passed Trae Young’s 233 made 3’s in a season. Young was traded to the Washington Wizards back in January.
Against the Knicks, Alexander-Walker scored 36 points and shot 12-for-19 from the field and 7-for-11 from behind the arc. The 27-year-old has been a huge addition for Atlanta, which currently sits as the No. 5-seed in the Eastern Conference with three games remaining in the regular season.
The Virginia Tech product has played for the New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, and Timberwolves before coming to the Hawks. In his first six seasons, he averaged double figures just three of those years. His numbers took a dip in Minnesota as more of a role player. However, that hasn’t been the case in Atlanta.
He is averaging 20.8 points a game for Snyder in 76 games and shooting nearly 40% from behind the arc. He is second in terms of scoring behind Jalen Johnson.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Looking Ahead To the Playoffs
Atlanta has a two-game lead in terms of the NBA Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference with three games left. They begin a home-and-home with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, before visiting the Miami Heat to close out the regular season on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the loss to the Knicks was against someone who could be Atlanta’s first-round opponent this month in the playoffs. However, Atlanta is a team that nobody wants to see in a seven-game series, and Alexander-Walker believes Monday night’s loss was a lesson for what’s to come.
“This is like a lesson,” Alexander-Walker said. “It’s good for us to be battle-tested, headed for the postseason. That’s a good team. Now we know how much better we can be. And we know their strengths, they know ours, and it’s how do we make an adjustment should we meet in the playoffs.”
When the season began, the Hawks were not a team that a lot of people had finishing inside the top 6 in the East. There is still more work to be done to do that, but one or two wins help them avoid the play-in round. Atlanta already owns wins this season over some of the top teams, including a win in Boston against the Celtics after they were blown out by them at home.
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