Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech Hokies
MIAMI, FL – JANUARY 30: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #4 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in action against the Miami Hurricanes at Watsco Center on January 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Strengths: Elite Catch and Shoot Jumper

If Alexander-Walker has a tool that is elite, it is undoubtedly his catch-and-shoot jumpshot ability. Alexander-Walker was one of the best shooters in catch and shoot situations in college last season. He logged 1.28 points per possession last year in those situations.

Here you see Alexander-Walker follow up as a trailer in transition.

He gets the pass right where he wants it. Loads and fires without hesitation. As you can see his jumper is a little bit slow as he kind of loads it towards the top of his release. But that shot is an extremely effective one.

Here is another clip of Alexander-Walker in a catch and shoot situation:

Once again, Alexander-Walker knocks down the shot. His feet are set and he is perfectly balanced on the shot. The release point, even though he kind of loads it is set high. The defender is not able to block the shot even with the jumping contest.

And one more for good measure:

This time we have Alexander-Walker in the corner. Once again, there is no hesitation in launching the shot even with the defender contesting late. His feet are set perfectly. The motion is fluid.

You can definitely see why Alexander-Walker shot 37.4 percent from deep this season.

What is more amazing is that according to The Stepien’s shot-chart tool, Alexander-Walker actually shot 40 percent from NBA distance on 120 attempts. This will likely be the tool that gets Alexander-Walker into a rotation early in his career.