Nickeil Alexander-Walker's growth is a boon for Timberwolves

It was a rough start to the fourth quarter for Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

On the opening possession of the quarter, Alexander-Walker fouled the Portland Trail Blazers’ Scoot Henderson on a 3-point attempt. Henderson hit all three free throws to give Portland a two-point lead. 

On the ensuing possession, Alexander-Walker turned the ball over.

In years past, Alexander-Walker might have let that eat at him. It’s those type of mistakes that have often left him frustrated with himself, sometimes even to the point where it’s a detractor during games. That wasn’t the case Tuesday night in Portland.

Alexander-Walker bounced back from the early missteps, hitting four key 3-pointers during an 18-4 Timberwolves run that broke a tie game wide open. 

Minnesota went on to win 121-109, and Alexander-Walker finished his night with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a 5-of-6 mark from 3-point range. 

“He’s probably grown the most with his kinda composure,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of Alexander-Walker in his postgame press conference. “He doesn’t seemingly get rattled — he’s always had a habit to kind get down on himself when he has made some tough plays, but he plays through that now, bounces back, he understands like defensively is where it all starts for him. And just his decision-making on offense has been really quick and, for the most part, really, really clean. But that all comes from just having a little more composure.”

When the Timberwolves acquired Alexander-Walker from Utah in the trade that brought in Mike Conley and sent D’Angelo Russell to the Los Angeles Lakers, he was mostly viewed as a piece that made the trade work. He was playing less than 15 minutes per game, averaging 6.3 points and 2.1 assists for the Jazz last season.

But Alexander-Walker quickly showed the Timberwolves he’s more than just a trade piece. His defense in their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets was stellar, earning him a two-year extension in the offseason.

And this season, he’s been one of the Timberwolves’ most valuable rotation players, playing over 23 minutes per game while averaging 7.1 points and 2.6 assists. His defense is still stellar. And all the aspects of his game are continuing to come together.

“I care a lot and for so long I had to realize basketball’s not only my identity,” Alexander-Walker told reporters after Tuesday’s game. “It’s just, game was everything for me, and so yeah, there’s times where I can lose myself in the game, good and bad, but I think it’s just been a focus for me to grow as a player and know that the only way for me to improve now is to kinda like separate that stuff and just be able to enjoy the moment and be in the moment, good and bad.”

That growth is showing in all aspects of his game. It starts on the defensive end. Alexander-Walker is a lockdown perimeter defender. On Tuesday, he took Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons out of the game at times. On offense, he helps space the floor, hitting at a 43% clip from the field and shooting 38% from 3-point range, numbers valuable to a Timberwolves second unit that often struggles to shoot the ball. 

And he fits in with both the starting unit and the second unit. He doesn't demand a lot of shots, averaging about six attempts per game. Alexander-Walker is becoming more confident in his game, something Finch praised after Tuesday's victory. 

That looks like generating stops on defense, and also finding the hot hand, spacing the floor and knocking down shots when he needs to on offense. 

“I can feel when guys get hot or need some stops. For me personally, I see that as my job to the team, like I gotta do my job, and that’s just me thinking in that moment, ‘OK, how can I do my job the best that I can?’” Alexander-Walker said.

When he's hitting from outside like he was on Tuesday, the Timberwolves are even more dangerous. Alexander-Walker's growing composure and confidence will pay dividends for Minnesota, which is best encapsulated by games like Tuesday's when his efforts on both ends of the floor helped the Timberwolves pull away in the fourth. 

“That’s why we love him. We know what he can bring to the table,” Rudy Gobert said.