How Hawks’ Nickeil-Alexander Walker truly feels about Most Improved Player Award

Story by

Malik Brown, ClutchPoints

Sat, Apr 25, 2026 ·

2 min read

How Hawks’ Nickeil-Alexander Walker truly feels about Most Improved Player Award appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

For the second straight season, the Atlanta Hawks have had a player win the Most Improved Award. This season it was Nickeil Alexander-Walker , who went from averaging 9.4 points last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves to 20.8 points this year. He was also pushed into a starting role with the Hawks and took full advantage of the opportunity.

After winning the award, Alexander-Walker was asked about how the organization played a part in his growing into the player that he became this season.

“I don’t play for myself, I don’t play to be the most improved player” Alexander-Walker said. “I could feel them there, and this is bigger than me, and it’s so much fun. It’s amazing to be a part of, it’s so meaningful. The talks I have with Quin, having one today, before the season, all the time, after games, tough losses. Jalen, the same thing in the crunch, trying to figure it out and wanting it so bad.

“There’s no one you can’t name, there’s no one that doesn’t work for the Atlanta Hawks that hasn’t made me feel that way.”

The team has fully embraced Alexander-Walker, and it’s helped him to take his game to the next level. Dyson Daniels, who won the award last season , knows the feeling of being able to grow in this system.

“I think Atlanta has a really good development pathway,” Daniels said. “Guys come in here, get their work in, and Quin’s really good at giving guys opportunities to just play free and be themselves, and that’s what Nickeil’s come in and done this year. Our offense has taken a huge jump. On defense he’s been really good for us. He’s a guy who just plays free, plays his game, and has fun out there.”

Alexander-Walker’s role changed throughout the season, but he was ready for the moment. After signing with the team in the offseason, the goal was for him to come off the bench and be a spark plug on both sides of the ball. When Trae Young went down with his injury, he was inserted into the starting lineup, where he had to figure things out.

Once Young was traded, Alexander-Walker took off with his new role, and he’s done a lot of good things for the Hawks to help get them where they are now.