Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker is officially the NBA’s most improved player for the 2025-26 season.
The league announced the results of the regular-season awards on Friday, ahead of its slate of playoff games.
Alexander-Walker finished the regular season with a career year in his first season with the Hawks. Through 78 games, he averaged 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. His scoring went up by 11.4 points per game, the third-highest increase from one season to the next in the past 25 seasons, according to the Hawks, via Elias Sports Bureau.
The 27-year-old has upped his scoring without a decline in his 3-point efficiency. He took a higher volume of 3-point attempts (8.1) and made 39.9%.
“I think sometimes we think about development occurring in younger players, so to speak, and it does, certainly, and probably statistically, that arc is greater the younger you are,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said on Friday. “But it’s really it’s not the case. Anyone, hopefully all of us, you’re always growing and developing. But I think it takes a unique player, a unique person, to be that focused on it.”
Hawks teammate Dyson Daniels won the award last year, becoming the second player in franchise history to earn the honor. With Alexander-Walker’s win, the Hawks became the first team to have consecutive winners since the award’s creation in the 1985-86 season.
“He definitely should be the winner,” Daniels said of Alexander-Walker. “I think Atlanta has a really good development pathway. Guys come in here, get their work in, and Quin’s really good at giving guys opportunities to just play free, be themselves.
“And that’s what Nickeil has come in and done this year. Our offense has taken a huge jump. (His) defense has been really good for us, and he’s a guy that just plays free, plays his game, has fun out there, and, yeah, he’s been a really big key for us, how we’ve gone this year.”
A panel of roughly 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the NBA cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season.
“We are thrilled for Nickeil to see his work acknowledged as the 2026 Most Improved Player,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said in a statement. “He brings a high level of care and professionalism to everything he does associated with the game of basketball, whether that be how he watches film, practices daily or interacts with media. Nickeil truly embodies what it means to be the best version of yourself and we are excited for his future growth in our program.”
Pistons center Jalen Duren and Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija were finalists.
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