NBA
#17 – Nickeil Alexander-Walker – New Orleans Pelicans
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The New Orleans Pelicans traded the fourth overall pick in the draft to the Atlanta Haws for picks 8, 17 and 35. The Pelicans also sent Solomon Hill, the 57th pick and a future second-round pick to the Hawks in the deal.
With the 17th overall pick in the NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Alexander-Walker is one of those players who can be one of the most productive players on the court without anyone really noticing. He can play on and off the ball and can deliver passes with a level of accuracy you wouldn’t expect.
Alexander-Walker is also solid operating with the ball in his hands and can thrive as a secondary ball-handler and play-maker. Add his passing and playmaking to the combination of Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball, and you can start to see how the Pelicans’ offense may operate in the halfcourt and in transition.
With superb athletes like Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes in the frontcourt and skilled passers and playmakers like Holiday, Ball and now Alexander-Walker, the Pelicans are poised to be one of the more entertaining offenses in the near future.
Alexander-Walker doesn’t have the athleticism or upside of other players who were still on the board at 17, but with his size and skill set, he should turn out to be a nice addition for a rapidly rebuilding Pelicans squad.
