With the seventeenth total choose within the 2019 NBA draft, the New Orleans Pelicans left with guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
THE Virginia Tech College The 21-year-old has seen regular enchancment early in his profession with the Pelicans, changing into a dependable a part of the group’s rotation. He has the dimensions and abilities to be a potent offensive scorer whereas additionally being a defensive nuisance.
Earlier than being traded to the Portland Path Blazers As a part of the CJ McCollum blockbuster, he averaged a career-high 12 factors via the primary 50 video games of his third yr as a professional.
Alexander-Walker failed to achieve that degree of scoring within the following seasons, because it was throughout this era in New Orleans that he final averaged double-digit factors. Nevertheless, he turned a priceless a part of the rotation.
One purpose why the Minnesota Timberwolves The success they’d final season was because of his presence within the rotation. He appeared in all 82 common season video games, offering a continuing spark for Chris Finch.
His improved effectivity is good to see, however what retains him within the group’s rotation is his defensive efficiency.
Standing at 6’4″ and with a wingspan of practically 6’2″, he can defend a number of positions as he’s athletic sufficient to stick with the guards and is lengthy sufficient to deal with most assignments on the wing.
Taking part in protection within the NBA is not any straightforward process, as gamers look to search out any benefit they will. Alexander-Walker has discovered a novel benefit to assist block his opponents’ possessions.
As shared by Mike Shearer on HoopsHypeThe versatile winger has grow to be a grasp of the kicked ball, a tactic usually solely huge males deploy efficiently.
“However Alexander-Walker can be one of many few wings who makes use of the ball as a weapon. His 15 such violations final yr ranked fifth within the league (and first amongst non-centers), and whereas he is had a smaller function in earlier years, he is usually ranked close to the highest in minutes,” Shearer wrote.
Denver Nuggets NBA rising star Nikola Jokic led the league with 47 kickball violations final season, probably the most since stat monitoring started within the NBA. NBA’s Nikola Vucevic, The Chicago Bulls and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Warmth are additionally recurrently on the prime of this statistic.
It isn’t a transfer that is going to point out up on scoreboards anytime quickly, nor one that almost all followers will discover. However there’s a technique for utilizing it, as the one penalty is that the group retains possession of the ball and the shot clock resets to 14.
That is not a foul consequence if it means stopping an inbound go for a dunk or layup for a straightforward two factors.
