Timberwolves: Should Nickeil Alexander-Walker replace Austin Rivers or Jaylen Nowell in the rotation?
Days before the NBA Trade Deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Mike Conely, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and picks. While the Wolves found their new starting point guard in Conley, they also acquired a young guard with immense potential.
Alexander-Walker was the 17th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. There was a lot to like about him, and the Timberwolves’ front office was interested in drafting him. They went in a different direction and traded up to select Jarrett Culver, but four years later, Minnesota landed their guy.
However, Gersson Rosas was leading the front office back then, and their main priority was Darius Garland. Still, Alexander-Walker has guys on the coaching staff and front office who are fans of him.
NAW has a lot of potential and hasn’t been given the freedom to develop. In limited action, he’s shown flashes of being a strong rotation piece for any team.
He played two seasons at Virginia Tech and developed into a better scorer and shooter. His defense also developed in his second season, going from 0.8 steals per game to 1.9.
Alexander-Walker flashed his skills with the New Orleans Pelicans and has since played limited minutes. Before getting traded in 2021-22, he averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He also shot 37.5 percent from the field and 31.1 from 3.
Fast forward to this season, and the 24-year-old is averaging 6.1 points, 2.0 assists and 1.6 rebounds. He’s also improved his efficiency, going 48.8 percent from the field and 40.2 from 3.
The counterargument to this is in 21-22, he was attempting 6.1 3-pointers per game. This year he’s only shooting 2.3 per game, but he looks more comfortable as a shooter.
Alexander-Walker has improved as a defender too. He’s played a total of six minutes for the Timberwolves, but we got a glimpse of how good he could be against the Washington Wizards.
This isn’t the only example of him improving as a defender. If you watch his highlights or games with the Utah Jazz, you’ll see how far he’s come defensively. There are multiple reports of him improving on that side of the ball from Utah reporters as well.
NAW has the potential of being an irritant on defense because of his length. The former Hokie is listed at 6-foot-6 and has a 6-foot-9 wingspan.
The reason Jaylen Nowell has received playing time is his ability to get hot and score the ball. We’re starting to see more of that with Jordan McLaughlin back in the lineup, but Nowell has struggled for most of the season. If he’s not scoring, he’s a minus on the floor because of his defensive limitations.
This season Nowell is averaging 11.0 points per game and shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 29.6 from 3.
Austin Rivers isn’t the offensive weapon he once was coming out of college, but he’s one of the better defenders on the roster. He’s been key down the stretch of games, including a great effort on Stephen Curry in overtime after Russell fouled out of the game.
Rivers has been good from the corner and getting downhill. Other than defense and a few catch-and-shoot 3s, Rivers has his limitations. He’s not a lockdown defender, but he improves the Wolves’ defensively.
The former Duke Blue Devil is also one of the leaders of this team, and we don’t know how effective he can be from the bench. Still, players respect him enough that he should be able to provide value in that category.
We’ve seen what Nowell and Rivers can do for the Timberwolves, but we haven’t gotten a chance to see NAW. We’ve seen him in six minutes, and almost two of those minutes were in garbage time.
Alexander-Walker can provide on offense and defense when given the chance. He’s also proven to be a better shooter in limited minutes. It may be a risk, but Chris Finch should give him an extended look after the All-Star break. If he is as impactful as he was against the Wizards, he should be playing over Nowell and Rivers.
NAW is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, and this is the perfect time to figure out if you have a player worth bringing back next year.
