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Orlando Magic 2019 NBA Draft Preview: Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a high-IQ player with physical limitations

By Zach Palmer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JANUARY 15: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #4 of the Virginia Tech Hokies drives toward Jack Salt #33 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 15, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JANUARY 15: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #4 of the Virginia Tech Hokies drives toward Jack Salt #33 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 15, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech Hokies
SAN JOSE, CA – MARCH 22: Virginia Tech guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (4) shoots a shot in the lane during the game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Saint Louis Billikens in their NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship first round game on March 22, 2019, at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

With the 16th pick in the draft, the Orlando Magic will have a plethora of options to choose from. Nickeil Alexander-Walker could be at the top of those options.

Scouting philosophies are different throughout the NBA, just like they are in the online draft community.

Many people would love to take the guy with the highest potential. If a player can become 100 percent of what their ability allows for them to become, that player will become a superstar. Players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and DeAndre Jordan, a couple of All-Stars who were extremely raw but projectable make the people who carry this philosophy look like geniuses.

Of course, on the other end, you have plenty of guys like Jan Vesely and Joe Alexander who flunk out of the NBA. But the idea is that the guys you hit on, justify the misses.

The opposing philosophy is drafting guys with a high floor, but a low ceiling. Granted, it is rather tough to suggest one player has low ceiling while another does not (but that is a debate for a different time).

Drafting projectable role players can leave you with guys like Courtney Lee and Tony Snell. You typically do not pay a premium price for these types of players, most of them do not go in the lottery. But they become valuable contributors to your team at a controlled cost for many years.

Every team needs these types of players. And those players have value.

Enter Virginia Tech Hokies combo guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Alexander-Walker was Virginia Tech’s best two-way player last season. He was a large reason why the team was able to stay afloat while starting senior point guard Justin Robinson was out with an injury.

Alexander-Walker went from primarily a spot-up shooter and secondary playmaker to the defacto point guard with Robinson out.

The Hokies were able to post a 5-4 record in the ACC without Robinson. But what is not mentioned about this stretch is that Alexander-Walker’s numbers suffered significantly due to his role change.

In the nine games that Robinson missed, Alexander-Walker shot 34.4 percent from the field and 28.5 percent from three. These performances tanked Alexander-Walker’s per game averages.

But on the bright side, Alexander-Walker clearly made strides as a playmaker and he was able to show off his defense on the perimeter a little more. For the season, he averaged 16.2 points per game and 4.0 assists per game. He shot 37.4 percent from deep and posted a 54.6 percent effective field goal percentage on a 26.5 percent usage rate.

So, who is Nickeil Alexander-Walker?