For the first few years of his career, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was the lockdown defender tasked with making someone else’s night harder. Now, the Atlanta Hawks’ guard is the one whose night needs to be made more difficult, and after a career year last season, the question is no longer whether his breakout was real, but whether he deserves to be named an All-Star.

Through 10 games, he is averaging career highs in points (22.3), steals (1.5), offensive rebounds (1.5), field goals made (7.2) and free throws made (3.8). He has also increased his three-point volume, attempting 10.3 per game which is over two more than last season, yet his shooting percentage has only dipped marginally from 39.9 percent to 39.8 percent.

Atlanta is now 6-4 after winning three straight, with the latest win being a 139-132 victory over the Washington Wizards and former Hawks star Trae Young. Alexander-Walker led the team with 28 points on four three-pointers and a perfect 10-of-10 at the line.

The opponent made it fitting, because it was Young’s absence that helped open the door for Alexander-Walker’s breakout. Young sprained his MCL last October and returned in December, and Atlanta played much better without him, particularly Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson. That allowed the team to trade Young to Washington in early January, and Alexander-Walker continued to make the most of the extra minutes as he wound up winning the 2026 Most Improved Player award.

Those extra minutes changed the profile of Alexander-Walker who had spent his early career as a role player. Before joining the Hawks, he averaged about 8.5 points in 20.8 minutes over 381 games, with only 68 starts. He has started 81 of 88 since. 

Last season he averaged 20.8 points, more than double his scoring at any previous stop and 8.0 above his previous best of 12.8 in 2021-22. He took 8.1 threes per game, nearly twice as many as with the Minnesota Timberwolves (4.2), at a slightly better rate (39.9 percent against 38.1 percent), and his free throw shooting climbed to 90.2 percent from roughly 71 percent to 76 percent at earlier stops. 

Atlanta is still a piece or two away from contending, and Alexander-Walker needs playmaking help in the backcourt, but the future looks bright for this young core. At 28, he is the oldest of that core, with Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu all 25 years old or younger.

If the Hawks stay competitive in the East’s playoff race, an All-Star berth should be well within reach for Alexander-Walker. Whether the nod comes this season or later, a player once known mostly as a defensive specialist is now making a strong case, a reminder of how much opportunity can change a career in the NBA.