Hawks Nickeil Alexander-Walker named Most Improved Player - ESPN

Nickeil Alexander-Walker was named this season's Most Improved Player on Friday, marking the second straight Atlanta Hawks player to win the NBA award.

Alexander-Walker averaged a career-high 20.8 points, 3.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds to go with 1.3 steals per game. He also averaged career-highs in blocks, field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.

The 6-5 guard increased his scoring by 11.4 points from the 9.4 points per game he averaged coming off the bench for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2024-25 season. That is the third-highest increase from one season to the next over the past 25 years.

«Nickeil's dedication, continual work on his craft, and the ensuing results this season make him incredibly deserving of this award,» Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said in a statement. «He has a tireless work ethic and a focus on improving in every aspect of his game. His game continues to evolve, and his commitment and unselfish attitude as a teammate have also positively impacted the success of the team.»

Alexander-Walker follows teammate Dyson Daniels, who took the award last season. This is the first time in the award's history that two straight winners came from the same team.

In his seventh season, Alexander-Walker thrived with the Hawks. The guard told ESPN early in the season that he had multiple suiters in free agency but chose the Hawks after former Hawks point guard Trae Young talked to and recruited him.

When Young suffered a knee injury early in the season and then was ultimately traded to Washington, Alexander-Walker helped the Hawks remain a playoff team. The 6-5 guard scored in double figures in 76 games and made 251 three-pointers this season, a single-season franchise record and fourth-most in