Nickeil

Alexander-Walker

Alexander-Walker has been a consistent scoring threat for fantasy managers, scoring at least 20 points on eight occasions this season. He’s accomplished the feat in seven of his last eight games since October 28. He would’ve had an even bigger scoring performance had he not gone just 4-of-14 from three-point range in this one. The Hawks are back in action with a road matchup against the Bulls on Friday.

Nickeil has improved from last season where he won most improved player. From struggling to be efficient in New Orleans to leading the Hawks in scoring is a great story. While Jalen Johnson is out, Alexander-Walker should continue to put up points in bunches while getting good steals, good 3’s and good free throws while being a high level scorer.

After struggling in Saturday’s ugly loss to the Pelicans, NAW bounced back in a big way against the shorthanded Pacers. He set a new season high for scoring and matched his career high for three-pointers, which he set last season. This was NAW’s best game of the season, as he also set a new season high for steals. He stepped up on offense with Jalen Johnson sidelined, which is what the Hawks needed to get back to .500 on the season. He’ll look to stay hot against the Wizards on Wednesday.

Alexander-Walker had a rough night in New Orleans, missing all six of his three-point attempts. As a result, his streak of five straight games with at least two three-pointers to begin the season ended. Add in the lackluster assist and steal production, and this was a tough night for fantasy managers rostering Alexander-Walker. He’ll look to bounce back on Monday against the Pacers.

24 hours after NAW scored 23 points in a loss to Miami, he was able to surpass that mark in a win. His scoring had been slightly down since he dropped 31 points in the season opener, but he has been able to get back on track as of late. Outside of a drop in free throw percentage, his production has been in line with what he did during last season’s breakout. If he continues to contribute at this level, he’ll be one of the better players in fantasy basketball once again.

Alexander-Walker led the Hawks with 23 points, breaking a stretch of three consecutive games where he fell short of at least 20 points. He’s made at least four three-pointers in three of five games so far this season. Alexander-Walker averaged a career-high 3.2 made three-pointers per game last season and he’s carried his outside shooting success into this year.

Alexander-Walker averaged 20.8 points in his first season with the Hawks and started his second year in Atlanta by dropping 31 on the Magic. Two of his five three-pointers came with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter to help seal the win. Alexander-Walker is coming off his best season in the NBA and the 28-year-old guard appears to still be ascending.

Alexander-Walker was the only Hawks starter available for Monday’s game, and he played 25 minutes. NAW is coming off the most productive season of his NBA career and won Most Improved Player honors. While capable of providing top-50 fantasy value, Alexander-Walker should come off the board just after that threshold in 12-team formats.

Alexander-Walker struggled on Thursday, as did several Hawks players. He finished with more turnovers than made field goals, and didn’t make a big impact as a facilitator or defender in his 29 minutes. The unspectacular season-ending performance was unfortunate for Alexander-Walker, who made huge strides in his first season in Atlanta. He earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and was a reliable contributor in fantasy leagues. His role shouldn’t change much going next season, which means he’ll likely have strong fantasy value.

As a team, the Hawks shot 10-of-41 from beyond the arc on Saturday, and Alexander-Walker was responsible for five of the makes. While he had a good night shooting the basketball, the NBA’s Most Improved Player did not provide much value overall. And the Knicks have done a good job of defending Alexander-Walker thus far, as he’s scored 17 points or less in all four games. With the series tied at two games apiece, the teams return to New York for Game 5 on Tuesday.