Why Nickeil Alexander-Walker Could Be The Atlanta Hawks' Most Important Player This Season

This past season, the Atlanta Hawks placed a huge emphasis on being a two-way basketball team. They finished with a top-15 offense and a top-10 defense, which helped them turn their season around from nearly dead in the water and a potential bottom-of-the-Eastern-Conference finish.

After a surprising mid-season turnaround, the Hawks entered the summer looking to build on their regular-season and postseason momentum, with some trades to add more two-way play. However, they still have enough players for both ends of the court, but who will actually be the best when it comes to that?

While that question remains to be answered, we still have enough evidence as of now, heading into the season. to figure out who that may be. And it may be someone we all expect to take the next step, like he did this past season.

Who will be the two-way player that actually matters for Atlanta?

Dec 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) and forward Jalen Johnson (1) help up guard Trae Young (11) in the game against the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Hawks have a select few guys who can actually hold their own on both ends of the court, it really comes down to three guys. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu are the three main guys, but all have their own issues on both ends.

The name that stands out from these three is Alexander-Walker, as he is the one who is known for being able to step up consistently on offense and defense. Offensively, his game is still developing, as last season he made an 11-point jump from 9.4 points to 20.8 points per game, while drawing comparisons to his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Defensively, Alexander-Walker can step up in big moments when needed, and we were able to see that in many moments throughout this season. Two memorable moments were his game-sealing steal against the Charlotte Hornets in November and his game-sealing steal on Jalen Brunson in game two of the NBA Playoffs.

Usually, when the games are on the line, Alexander-Walker or Dyson Daniels will step up and take the lead guy on the opposing team. The difference between them is that Daniels doesn't quite have the offensive talent to match yet, but Alexander-Walker had a tremendous impact when sharing the court with him, as seen in the team's ratings.

Defensively, when the Hawks had their five-man lineup featuring CJ McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Johnson, and Okongwu, they had a rating of 102.8. Offensively, they had a rating of 123.1; without them defensively, Atlanta had a rating of 113.7 and an offensive rating of 116.1.

Alexander-Walker's overall efficiency helps Atlanta tremendously, as he doesn't foul often, which gives him extra minutes, and offensively, he's wildly efficient. Last season, Alexander-Walker finished with shooting splits of 45/39/90%, which rank among the best on the Hawks roster.

If Alexander-Walker can continue making steady improvements on his game, this Hawks team is destined for another leap this season.

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