Last season was a career-best year for Nickeil Alexander-Walker. After a sign-and-trade in the summer of 2025 that sent him from Minnesota to Atlanta , the thought was that he would be a great player to bring off the bench and complement Trae Young and Dyson Daniels.

Not even a few games into the season, Young was injured, and Alexander-Walker was brought into the starting lineup, where he would take huge advantage of the opportunity. He would have the best season of his career, winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award and looking like a player who might have an All-Star Appearance in the future.

But when you have a breakout season like that, there are still going to be doubters about whether you can continue that level of play.…