For 90 seconds before the Timberwolves’ 138-116 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, Feb. 9, the team showed a highlight reel of Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s three seasons in Minnesota.
The crowd at Target Center gave him a standing ovation, a recognition for all the defense, hustle, effort and memories Alexander-Walker gave them over that time.
Anybody who has followed the Wolves knew such a strong ovation was coming, but it seemed as if Alexander-Walker didn’t quite know how strong the reception was going to be.
“It was pretty amazing for me,” Alexander-Walker said after the game. “Just the magnitude and, I guess, the presence I had here. To me, I didn’t think it was as substantial as they made it to seem.”
That quote represents who Alexander-Walker is — he can be humble and hard on himself, sometimes to an unnecessary degree. Of course, he made that kind of imprint with the fan base and with his former teammates, as evidence by the several jerseys he collected from them. After the game, the scoreboard showed him doing a jersey swap with Anthony Edwards, and the crowd again cheered in approval.
“Being a role player and getting the tribute that I did and everyone just embracing me, honestly, watching it, it was hard not to smile and just appreciate it,” Alexander-Walker said.
Earlier in the day at shootaround, Alexander-Walker was putting up shots for several minutes as his teammates were scattering back to the hotel. He wasn’t happy with himself, and you could see him getting frustrated.
At another point in his career, that kind of frustration could boil over from one practice to the next, from one game to the next, from one quarter to the next. But not as much anymore. Especially not with the Hawks, who have handed him more of an opportunity to create and shoot than he had with the Wolves. He has thrived, averaging 20.3 points per game, more than double what he was averaging in Minnesota.
