The Nickeil Alexander-Walker (NAW) Thread

[minimus]

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And the most important play:

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[TwolvesFanRome]

According to me the ceiling is high..

[thinktank]

According to me the ceiling is high..

He made some mental mistakes. That’s encouraging in that it’s fixable but discouraging in that he hasn’t figured it out yet.

I like him tho. He’s close to being a two-way player if he can clean up his decision-making.

[wolves_89]

According to me the ceiling is high..

He made some mental mistakes. That’s encouraging in that it’s fixable but discouraging in that he hasn’t figured it out yet.

I like him tho. He’s close to being a two-way player if he can clean up his decision-making.

I think he gets into trouble when he tries to do too much on the offensive end. When he sticks to playing good defense and shooting open 3s he looks like a really good player.

All I want at this point is for NAW to take over as many Rivers/Nowell minutes as possible.

[thinktank]

According to me the ceiling is high..

He made some mental mistakes. That’s encouraging in that it’s fixable but discouraging in that he hasn’t figured it out yet.

I like him tho. He’s close to being a two-way player if he can clean up his decision-making.

I think he gets into trouble when he tries to do too much on the offensive end. When he sticks to playing good defense and shooting open 3s he looks like a really good player.

All I want at this point is for NAW to take over as many Rivers/Nowell minutes as possible.

Yep. Shot selection. Gobert had him screened for a three and he decided to drive into the D for a contested layup. Was goaltending but still. Take the open three. Then he tried a low odds cross court pass from waaaay too far on the other side that got easily stolen. That pass was almost the longest pass you can throw in half court.

[minimus]

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A few thoughts about NAW:

Offense:

- high release, good footwork make him solid catch and shoot option, especially from wings. Can relocate, can hit threes after exiting screens
- has good balance when he makes spin move
- lacks quick first step, cant beat his opponent off the dribble consistently
- willing to shoot mid range shots after 1-2 dribbles, but does not have reliable midrange game yet
- lacks explosion to be a consistent finisher around the rim
- has showed surprising chemistry with Gobert, routinely makes dump-off passes to Gobert under the rim. However, I would not trust NAW any serious role as facilitator

Defense:

- willing on-ball defender, moves feet well, uses his arms well. Mostly good at avoiding cheap fouls
- his technique in chasing opponent through screens is not good perfect, but effort is there. I wonder if with his body type he can model his game as defender after Thybulle or young Danny Green
- as off-ball defender does not impact game so much yet. I believe that with more chemistry and experience he can improve here a lot
- willing rebounder, wants to get rebound. Needs to be more disciplined in terms of boxouts though

Overall:

When NAW sticks to his role as 3&D player who can occasionally make right pass he is highly efficient. At this point of his career he is not "scalable", he cant fill multiple roles. But if he can add one more trick in his arsenal, for instance reliable mid-range shot and how to get in his sweet spotsin mid-range, or floater plus as natural evolution path alley-oop pass to Gobert, he can be a core player for this team. I dont know if he can improve athletically or gain more muscles, he is probably finished product at this point.

[thinktank]

It’s his driving where he gets into trouble. Not a finisher.

[Klomp]

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[younggunsmn]

I like the length and perimeter defense.
If he can carve out a career as a younger version of Patrick Beverly we really may have found something with the salary filler in the Russell trade.

[Klomp]

We need to start thinking about him as a core piece of the rotation going forward. He’s putting in the work and earning that!

[wolves_89]

I really hope that Rivers and Nowell are out of the rotation at this point. I just don't see how Finch could give either minutes over NAW. Assuming a healthy roster my only question about the rotation going forward is whether Naz can still find regular minutes. I'd have Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert, Anderson, NAW, Prince, and McLaughlin as the pretty clear top 9.

[moss_is_1]

Been huge, he's like both of the good parts of Nowell/Rivers right now. Very good defender, can shoot but also drive to the rim and kick it out. Glad we snagged him in the deal.

[theGreatRC]

Wanted to post this year and maybe bump it in the future and either say "what a steal" or "what a shame" depending on how his time goes here, but he said "i'm grateful, i love the orginization, i can't express it enough, i feel like i was saved" I think this is a great oppurtunity for him to grow with the young guys and be a part of this teams future

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[TwolvesFanRome]

We need to start thinking about him as a core piece of the rotation going forward. He’s putting in the work and earning that!

The thing that impressed me is his defense level...seems to me really really good!

[shrink]

Wanted to post this year and maybe bump it in the future and either say "what a steal" or "what a shame" depending on how his time goes here, but he said "i'm grateful, i love the orginization, i can't express it enough, i feel like i was saved" I think this is a great oppurtunity for him to grow with the young guys and be a part of this teams future …

I loved that clip. Seems like a real sincere kid.

[shrink]

Jim Petersen at one point said, “The Wolves have five good defenders out there. When was the last time they could say that?”

NAW, Ant, Jaden, SloMo, Gobert

[Baseline81]

Surprised to see Finch play NAW as I assumed he was merely a throw-in player. Happy to see him thrive in those minutes.

[Colbinii]

According to me the ceiling is high..

Yup, his ceiling has always been high. The issue is his floor is underwater.

[life_saver]

Naw does have some really pretty passes in his locker