It was nearly impossible for the Timberwolves to re-sign free-agent guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker last offseason due to the NBA’s new salary cap rules. He is now thriving in an expanded role with the Hawks this season. Does that mean he was held back in Minnesota?

After Minnesota acquired NAW from the Utah Jazz as basically a throw-in to the deal involving Mike Conley and D’Angelo Russell at the 2022-23 trade deadline, he slowly blossomed into one of the most productive bench players in the NBA. His scoring increased from 6.2 to 8.0 and then 9.4 in his three seasons with Minnesota. At 6-foot-5, he’s a career 36.0% three-point shooter and an excellent defender, which makes him an ideal NBA role player.

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Now 27 years old, he signed a four-year, $62 million contract extension with Atlanta this summer. He proved that he can be an elite 3-and-D option with the Wolves, but now he’s proving that he can be a 20-point-per-game scoring threat on any night, when given the opportunity, in Atlanta.

Alexander-Walker is averaging 18.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 31.9 minutes per game this season. He’s shooting 46.0% from the field, 35.8% from three and 83.8% from the free throw line. He recently scored a career-high 38 points against the Spurs on 13-of-17 shooting from the field and an 8-of-10 night from three.

His most productive season as a scorer before this year came in 2021-22 with New Orleans, when he averaged 12.8 points per game. What makes his scoring explosion in Atlanta so interesting is that he’s only playing 6.6 more minutes per game, and he’s averaging 9.2 more points. The biggest difference in his role is the shot attempts. Last year, he averaged 7.5 field goal attempts per game, and he’s up to 13.8 this season.

To answer the question of whether or not NAW was held back in Minnesota, you would have to realize the Wolves prioritized other players. There are only so many shots to go around, and so much money to spend. The Timberwolves liked their rotation of Donte DiVincenzo, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark for the role that NAW played.

Ultimately, there are a lot of players in the NBA who could average 18.6 points on 13.8 field goal attempts per game. It seems a bit reactionary to think NAW was held back in Minnesota, but it does show how talented the Wolves’ entire rotation was last season.

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