As the 17th overall pick, Nickeil Alexander-Walker entered the 2019-20 season as one of three players the New Orleans Pelicans selected in the first round and was, of course, overshadowed by No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson.
Williamson was labeled as a once-in-a-generation talent and viewed as the perfect player to help usher in a new era of basketball in New Orleans after the departure of franchise mainstay Anthony Davis. A knee injury suffered during the preseason saw his debut delayed until January, which opened the door for Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes, the eighth overall pick.
Alexander-Walker was viewed by most as a player that could potentially step in and immediately contribute with the Pelicans. He was highly touted coming into the draft for his ability to shoot and score after averaging 16.2 points as a sophomore at Virginia Tech while converting on 37.4% of his shots from 3-point range. Alexander-Walker also had a great showing with the Pelicans in the Las Vegas Summer League, finishing third in scoring among all players.
The 6-foot-5 guard started off the year as a key player in the rotation and had shown flashes in a couple of games. He recorded a career-high 27 points on Nov. 16 against the Miami Heat and followed that performance up by scoring 19 points against the Golden State Warriors.
Shortly after that, Alexander-Walker received a few DNP-CDs and saw inconsistent playing time over the course of the next few months. By the end of January, Alexander-Walker only saw the floor in mop-up duty and had completely fallen out of the rotation.
The decision was eventually made in February to send Alexander-Walker to play with the Erie BayHawks, the G League affiliate of the Pelicans. Instead of viewing the assignment as a demotion, Alexander-Walker embraced the opportunity and fully committed to playing with the BayHawks.
“I think a lot of times with the G League, guys come down there and it’s alright, ‘I’m going to shoot 40 shots,'” BayHawks head coach Ryan Pannone told Rookie Wire. “He didn’t have that mentality and instead viewed it as how can I help this team win, which we desperately needed. How can I be a good teammate? How can I make an impact? How can I have leadership and also how can I improve on my own game?
He was amazing to coach. I think he is going to be a very, very good player in the NBA because he is talented and his work ethic is incredible but he also has a care factor. He cares. He cares about the scouting report. He cares about getting things right. He cares about being coachable. He cares about being held accountable. He wants to be held accountable.
Alexander-Walker made two appearances with the BayHawks before re-joining the Pelicans on March 1. He scored 23 points, four rebounds and four assists in his debut, leading the BayHawks to a win over the Long Island Nets. Alexander-Walker tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his second game with the BayHawks.
The brief stint in the G League allowed the rookie to stay fresh on the court and learn how to play through mistakes. He committed 11 turnovers in his two games with Erie but it also gave him an opportunity to be coached and improve his game as a whole.
“The Pelicans don’t want guys to just come down to the G League and shoot it 40 times a game and get up as many shots as possible,” Pannone said. “They want guys to come down there and actually improve and get better. The big message with him was to hold him accountable, coach him hard and get him to play consistently offensively and have fun. Fortunately, Nickeil, number one, his work ethic is amazing and two, he is a phenomenal kid.
He came down there and we had a seven-hour bus ride and he is on the bus, playing video games, choppin’ it up with the guys, having a good time. He knew the scouting report of every player. He knew the offensive plan and the defensive plan. You can tell he was studying all of the personnel reports we sent out to all of the players before we met up as a team.
While most of the scouting behind a potential prospect occurs on the court, teams also look for high-character players with a commitment to working hard and improving on the court.
With Alexander-Walker, it is certainly clear he checks all of the boxes as a first-round pick in the NBA given his skill set on the floor and willingness to learn.
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