Last season was a career-best year for Nickeil Alexander-Walker. After a sign-and-trade in the summer of 2025 that sent him from Minnesota to Atlanta, the thought was that he would be a great player to bring off the bench and complement Trae Young and Dyson Daniels.

Not even a few games into the season, Young was injured, and Alexander-Walker was brought into the starting lineup, where he would take huge advantage of the opportunity. He would have the best season of his career, winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award and looking like a player who might have an All-Star Appearance in the future.

But when you have a breakout season like that, there are still going to be doubters about whether you can continue that level of play. Those concerns also stemmed from a lackluster performance in the 1st round of the playoffs against the Knicks.

If last night is any indication, Alexander-Walker might be even better than he was last season.

Great start to the year

He finished the night against the Orlando Magic, who have one of the best defenses in the league, with 31 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and shooting 5-for-8 from three. The two biggest shots of the game came late in the fourth quarter, and a pair of threes helped seal the game for the Hawks. On a night when Atlanta's biggest star was in foul trouble for a lot of the second half, Alexander-Walker stepped up and had a fantastic start to the season.

Alexander-Walker also set a career-high in free throw attempts and did most of his damage in the second half. He said after the game that getting into foul trouble and not being able to be on the floor played a huge part in his second half performance:

"Well, I disturbed myself in the first half. You know, I couldn't stay on the floor with the foul trouble, and I think that played a big role into it. I think the rhythm started to build towards the end of the first into the second, and then... Honestly, just shout out to Wig (Aaron Wiggins), shout out to Jock (Landale), Kingston (Flemings). They've been making my life a lot easier. And Dyson (Daniels), JJ, O, they've already been doing that. And with this group, just finding something that works as well with them. The rhythm with them starts to build, and I can just feel it."

He also said after the game that there he has no message for the NBA except that he is going to continue to be himself:

"I think the main thing is just for me to continue to be myself. I'm making my own identity. Allowing God to use me in this way to put that out there. I stopped worrying about the narrative that I can create because there's always somebody that's going to hate. There's always somebody that's going to cheer you up. And I started to realize that I don't have any need to put a message out there. I'm secure in who I am. And if I had a need to put a message out there... It'll only be about my team, not really about myself."

There is a long way to go, but it was a great start to the season for one of the most talented players on the roster. The next opportunity is going to come on Friday night on the road at Charlotte (7:00 p.m. ET)