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Nickeil Alexander-Walker excels in Las Vegas, earns first-team honors

Sixteen players were drafted before New Orleans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker on June 20, but by virtually any measure, none of those draftees outperformed the Virginia Tech product during the July 5-15 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. While Memphis rookie forward Brandon Clarke (No. 21 pick) claimed MVP honors, en route to the Grizzlies capturing the 2019 championship, among summer leaguers who appeared in at least four games, Alexander-Walker placed first in scoring (24.3 ppg), fourth in assists (6.0 apg) and third in steals (2.8 spg).

After splitting their first two games in Nevada, the summer Pelicans reeled off three straight wins behind Alexander-Walker and fellow first-round pick Jaxson Hayes (second-team All-Summer League), losing for the only time in overtime vs. Memphis in Sunday’s semifinals. It was only the second time in the seven-year history of the NBA Summer League’s tournament format that the Pelicans advanced that far. In addition, Alexander-Walker became just the third New Orleans player to garner first-team status in Las Vegas (the others were Seth Curry in ’15 and J.R. Smith in ’05).

“He has a skill set where he can shoot the ball, defend, takes pride in his defense, can handle the ball, can pass, has good vision,” summer head coach Fred Vinson said Sunday of the 20-year-old’s well-rounded game. “He’s just a really balanced basketball player. I think that’s going to bode well for us when the regular season comes around, having another guy who can make plays the way he can. I’m excited and happy for him, happy for the way he played. Nickeil earned whatever achievements he gets with All-Summer League teams. Well deserved. He was fun to watch and fun to coach.”

Once he and Hayes were cleared to play following the NBA’s official approval of the Lakers trade July 6, the initial plan for Alexander-Walker was for him to start at shooting guard, but his playmaking and court vision quickly shifted him to point guard. The Toronto native immediately made numerous well-executed dishes to teammates, including several to Hayes that ended in highlight-reel dunks.

“I just try to keep it simple with my mentality,” Alexander-Walker said of adapting on the court as the game progresses. “Not really focusing on what (position) I’m playing, but just going out there and playing. I let the game gravitate and pull me toward where it wants to go. I’ve always been told to never force the issue, so whenever I’m out there, I just try to get a feel for it.”

Over the final four Pelicans summer games, Alexander-Walker and Hayes (16.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg), along with second-round pick Didi Louzada (11.0 ppg, 44 percent three-point shooting), demonstrated why New Orleans is excited about its deep ’19 draft class, which was headlined by No. 1 pick Zion Williamson (11 points in nine minutes vs. New York on July 5).

“We started off summer league being about Zion Williamson, and rightfully so – he’s the No. 1 pick in the draft and an outstanding player himself,” Vinson said, while noting that the Duke standout was extremely supportive of teammates in practices and from the sideline. “Once he was out, all of the attention changed. I think guys settled down and it became less of a quote, unquote ‘show’, because obviously fans came to see Zion and a show.”

While Louzada will be “stashed” in Australia’s pro league next season – with New Orleans retaining his rights – Williamson, Alexander-Walker and Hayes will spend the next two-plus months preparing for Pelicans training camp in the fall. Alexander-Walker said Sunday he’s looking forward to the next step in his rookie year.

“I’m excited. It’s a dream come true,” he said, before learning this week that he’d been invited to Canada’s national team training camp. “Everything I’m doing is part of the dream. I’m just taking all the time I have to soak it up. I’m going to get some rest, and then try to get better (prior to the start of the season). This is when the real work starts and the big dogs come out.”