Nickeil Alexander-Walker became the second straight Atlanta Hawks player to be named the NBA’s Most Improved Player when he was announced as the winner on Friday.
Alexander-Walker, 27, is just the third player in league history to win the award in his seventh season or later, joining Julius Randle (seventh season in 2020-21) and Hedo Turkoglu (eighth season in 2007-08).
The honor comes a year after Alexander-Walker’s cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.
“It’s good to make the family proud,” Alexander-Walker said, according to ESPN. “When you’re Shai’s cousin, a lot of times you get referred to as Shai’s cousin. And so now being recognized for being Nickeil Alexander-Walker feels great. I talk to Shai all the time. … [He’s] my brother and my twin, and I couldn’t be any more proud for anyone’s success. So to know that he’s in my corner and rooting for me the same way. … All of those things really resonate.”
After Dyson Daniels won the award last season, the Hawks are the first team since the award’s inception to have players win back-to-back MIP honors.
Alexander-Walker averaged a career-high 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his first season with Atlanta. He shot a career-best 45.9% from the floor, 39.9% from 3-point range and 90.2% from the free-throw line in 78 regular-season games.
Per Elias Sports, his 11.4 points-per-game increase from the 9.4 he averaged last season with Minnesota is the third-largest among qualified players over the last 25 seasons.
“Nickeil’s dedication, continual work on his craft, and the ensuing results this season make him incredibly deserving of this award,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said in a press release. “He has a tireless work ethic and a focus on improving in every aspect of his game. His game continues to evolve, and his commitment and unselfish attitude as a teammate have also positively impacted the success of the team.”
A 100-member global panel selected Alexander-Walker, who received 66 first-place votes, 19 for second and nine for third for a total of 396 points. Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons was second with 254 points (23 first-place votes), followed by Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers with 135 (seven).
Boston’s Neemias Queta was fourth with 41 points (zero), Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins was fifth with 33 (three) and the Hawks’ Jalen Johnson was sixth with 21 points, including the other first-place vote.
–Field Level Media
