There’s a new player in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Atlanta Hawks jumped out of the play-in picture and into sixth place, overtaking the Magic and Heat. They are now only 1.5 games behind the Raptors.
The Hawks took advantage of a relatively easy schedule with several games against Portland, Milwaukee, Dallas, and Brooklyn. They haven’t lost a game in March yet and are on an eleven-game win streak that catapulted them right into a close race for the fifth and sixth seeds in the Eastern Conference.
One player has stood out especially during the Hawks’ playoff push: Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Bleacher Report recently listed Alexander-Walker as one of three ideal offseason trade targets for the Raptors because of his 3-point shooting, offensive development, and relatively cheap contract. Since then, he has done nothing but prove how impactful he can be.
Alexander-Walker is a candidate for Most Improved Player. Even if he doesn’t win, being in that conversation will up his trade value.
Alexander-Walker is putting up some of his most impressive numbers yet
The Toronto native is putting together the best statistical season of his career. He is playing a career-high 33.3 minutes per game and naturally also averages career highs in every other category with 20.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
Alexander-Walker leads the Hawks in scoring in March with 24 points per game. Jalen Johnson is next in line with 21.9 points, followed by CJ McCollum, Onyeka Okongwu, and Dyson Daniels.
Alexander-Walker’s offensive evolution was highlighted by a career-high 41 points, including nine made threes, against the Magic a few days ago. He has only scored fewer than 20 points twice so far in March. After a 22-point performance against the Mavericks, Alexander-Walker is on a three-game streak of 20-point games with at least 44.2% shooting from three.
He is actually shooting 51.6% from three in March. Even if that number comes down, he would provide much-needed floor spacing for the Raptors.
On top of that, Alexander-Walker is also a great defender, who would fit right into the Raptors’ defensive identity. The Hawks have the second-best defensive rating in the league this month, and Alexander-Walker factors into their success on that end of the floor.
There is a catch, though: if the Hawks make the playoffs with this group of Alexander-Walker, Johnson, McCollum, Daniels, Okongwu, and Jonathan Kuminga, what would it take for them to part ways with Alexander-Walker and send him to Toronto?