Sports Illustrated released its first NBA mock draft and has our very own Nickeil Alexander-Walker going 24th to the Pacers.
https://www.si.com/nba/2018/11/20/nba-mock-draft-2019-zion-williamson-rj...
Alexander-Walker has looked much-improved to start the year and as his confidence has visibly spiked, he's come into his own as an attractive combo-guard prospect. He can do a little bit of everything and compliment a variety of teammates, able to put it on the floor, finish and pass with either hand, and showing improved consistency shooting the three. The cousin of rising Clippers star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Alexander-Walker has the talent and feel to help an NBA team as a nice supporting player down the line. Indiana might consider adding some size to its backcourt mix around Victor Oladipo.
*Edit: he is ranked 24th not 23rd as was previously stated.
Comments
24th....
Anyway, if the draft shakes out like that, I don't see how the Sixers pass him at 23rd. He would be an excellent complementary piece to the Embiid-Simmons-Butler trifecta they already have.
Frankly, just him and Simmons on the floor at the same time is an attractive proposition, as NAW can actually shoot.
That would be a beast backcourt with Butler and Embiid out there, as both are elite defenders (as is Simmons) and Embiid right now is a top 5 player imo.
That's what I'm saying. They need a shooter, and NAW is a shooter, but he also has some very good vision as well. You put him with that core, and insert a pure 3 and D player in FA (or hell, if they go nuts and get another max contract this offseason) they really could be set up to be at or near the top of the league for a while.
This is what happens when you post from your bed on your phone minutes after waking up
Not to be a glass-half-empty guy, but you're not drafting someone 23rd/24th and expecting that guy to start for at least a couple of years. Not unless you are a really bad team.
If he's drafted in the first round that means he'll probably make a roster. But if he slips to the 2nd round he probably won't. So if this is his accurate projected draft position, he should think long and hard about leaving early.
never said start. The Sixers need great role players who do what they do very well and can slot into very specific needs. Specifically, they need shooters who can space very well, and NAW is that kind of player. He'd be a part of probably a 3 or 4 person rotation for 1 or 2 spots, at least until he developed his game at that level.
Ahhh, gotcha. I totally agree with that assessment.
If he keeps playing the way he has this season (and there's no reason to think he won't), he's definitely a future pro. I just wonder if he's a player who would benefit from a 3rd year, to maybe move into the top half of the first round. It can go either way. I remember Melo Trimble would have been a likely first-rounder after his freshman year at Maryland, but his stock went down and he's never played a minute in the NBA.
Regardless, that decision is a long way away for NAW, and we're lucky to have him for sure!
SGA looking good so far definitely will help his stock a little bit too
If he plays like this the entire year, he's going to be a lottery pick.