The NBA named Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker the 2025-26 Most Improved Player on Friday. He edged out finalists Deni Avdija and Jalen Duren, despite not earning an All-Star nod like his competitors. This marks the second straight year a Hawks player has claimed the award.
Alexander-Walker, who signed with the Hawks as a free agent in the summer of 2025, has enjoyed a breakout season. Previously a role player with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he averaged 9.4 points per game and shot 38.4% from three-point range, he more than doubled his scoring to 20.8 points per game with Atlanta. He also posted a career-high 3.7 assists per game while maintaining elite defense as a reserve behind Trae Young early in the season. Young's injury elevated Alexander-Walker to a starting role, solidifying his status as a core piece for the Hawks, who later traded Young and secured the Eastern Conference's No. 6 playoff seed as the playoffs began. Drafted 17th overall in 2019, Alexander-Walker bounced between teams including New Orleans, Portland, Utah and Minnesota before landing in Atlanta. The NBA noted that seven of the past nine Most Improved Player winners were first-time All-Stars, bucking the trend last year with teammate Dyson Daniels and again this season. Hawks officials view his growth as key to transforming the team from Play-In contenders into a legitimate Eastern Conference playoff threat.
