ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� Nickeil Alexander-Walker was voted the NBA鈥檚 2026 Most Improved Player on Friday, beating out finalists Deni Avdija and Jalen Duren to become the second Hawks player to win the award in two years.
It was, by far, the best statistical season of Alexander-Walker鈥檚 career after won the trophy last season.
鈥淚’m glad I love this game so much,鈥� Alexander-Walker said. 鈥淚 don’t know where I’d be without it. Glad that I had people who believed in me when I didn’t, and when they say it takes a village, I used every single person in mine.鈥�
He scored a career-best 20.8 points per game, more than doubling his average from his first six pro seasons. He shot a career-best 46% and also averaged more assists (3.7), rebounds (3.4) and steals (1.3) than ever before.
Part of the rise in numbers was in part to a rise in minutes; he logged 2,603 this season, 530 more than his previous career best. That said, he earned those minutes 鈥� the 251 3-pointers, 277 free throws made, 40% clip from 3-point range and 90% clip from the foul line all were his best.
In the first year of a four-year, $62 million contract with the Hawks, Alexander-Walker started the season as a sixth man and moved into Atlanta’s starting lineup early with Trae Young dealing with a knee injury. His status as a full-time starter was solidified after a sent Young to Washington for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
Alexander-Walker’s win adds to the award haul for his family; his cousin is Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP and a finalist for MVP honors again this season.
鈥淲hen you’re Shai’s cousin, a lot of times you get referred to as Shai’s cousin,鈥� Alexander-Walker said. 鈥淏eing recognized for being Nickeil Alexander-Walker feels great.鈥�
Daniels, one year removed from winning the award after leading the league in steals, said it’s more proof that the Hawks are elite in player development.
鈥淚 think Atlanta has a really good development pathway,” Daniels said Friday. “Guys come in here, get their work in, and (Hawks coach Quin Snyder is) really good at giving guys opportunities to play free and be themselves. That’s what Nickeil’s come in and done this year, and our offense has taken a huge jump.鈥�
This was the fifth award to be announced by the NBA since the end of the regular season. The others:
鈥� San Antonio鈥檚 Victor Wembanyama became the youngest and the first to win the award in a unanimous vote.
鈥� Gilgeous-Alexander nearly became the first unanimous winner of the award. He got 96 of a possible 100 first-place votes.
鈥� San Antonio鈥檚 Keldon Johnson topped Miami鈥檚 Jaime Jaquez Jr. for getting 63 first-place votes.
鈥� Boston鈥檚 Derrick White won the edging out Indiana鈥檚 TJ McConnell. That award, unlike most others, is selected solely by active NBA players.
Other award announcements still to come include MVP (either Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver鈥檚 Nikola Jokic), Coach of the Year (either Detroit鈥檚 J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio鈥檚 Mitch Johnson or Boston鈥檚 Joe Mazzulla), and Rookie of the Year (either Philadelphia鈥檚 VJ Edgecombe, Dallas鈥� Cooper Flagg or Charlotte鈥檚 Kon Knueppel).
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