Timberwolves’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker finds right frame of mind at perfect time

MINNEAPOLIS — It seems so counterintuitive. To do the thing you’re trying desperately to do, you must loosen your grip.

Let go, they say. Care less. If only it were that easy.

For more than a week, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had been toying with different tactics to accomplish this mental release. The ball simply wouldn’t fall. He clanked 3-pointers from the right wing. Corner treys swirled in and out. He thought about luck turning in his favor. It didn’t. He rehearsed the shots he’d made earlier that morning. That didn’t help, either.

Finally, before Thursday night’s Minnesota Timberwolves victory against the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, Alexander-Walker reframed his approach. He recalled the mindset that earned him his pivotal bench role in the first place: rebounding, defending and playing with pace. Prioritize those facets of the game, he told himself, and he would be satisfied with whatever outcome.

The shift worked. When teammates fed him the ball on offense, he hoisted with a different degree of clarity. Four of his six 3-point attempts dropped. The result — a 20-point outburst, his playoff career high — earned a direct compliment from Timberwolves coach Chris Finch.

“We really needed this game from him,” Finch said. “We challenged him yesterday to be able to contribute like this. Like he has all season.”

Minnesota’s depth removes the onus on any individual player. Anthony Edwards does not have to be his typical, magnetic self for the Timberwolves to win. Julius Randle does not always have to account for as many baskets as he did Thursday night. Off nights for Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo or Jaden McDaniels don’t doom all hopes. However, the margin for error increases dramatically when all of the key cogs are operating at full capacity.

That includes Alexander-Walker. The 26-year-old is hyper-aware that his production matters for his future and, more relevant to now, his team’s present opportunity. Miss open shots, and it’ll further incentivize defenses to load up on drives. Pass up open shots because of those struggles, and the rhythm will evaporate.

Alexander-Walker sees the bigger picture. It’s helped him survive and thrive in a league that eats young players alive.

“He is way more intelligent and conscientious than many realize,” said Buzz Williams, who coached Alexander-Walker at Virginia Tech.

Those two traits are constant themes throughout Alexander-Walker’s arc. Following his final collegiate game, a two-point loss to Duke in the 2019 Sweet Sixteen, Alexander-Walker hunched in a hotel room with teammate and close friend Wabissa Bede. The two-point loss crushed Alexander-Walker, sure, but Ede remembered Alexander-Walker ruminating over the same thought.

That’s probably the last time we’ll get to play on the same team together.

The last time ever.

Man…

Years later, after a topsy-turvy beginning to his NBA career, Alexander-Walker noticed his future hinged on adapting. He may have been a scorer all of his life, slashing to the basket and weaving his way to the rack to average double digits, but it would not keep him on the court at this level.

Crouching into a stance and stalking the dribbler 94 feet? Alexander-Walker became that type of defender out of necessity. Quickly launching corner 3s before closeouts arrived? Alexander became a 38 percent shooter from NBA range. Skying for rebounds? Passing and cutting? These are the tasks he could not think are beneath him.

This may not have resonated in 2019 during his rookie season. He may not have absorbed this reality until he was traded for the third time in 2022 to Minnesota.

“A lot of guys in Nickeil’s position don’t adapt,” said Ryan Pannone, who coached the New Orleans Pelicans’ G-League affiliate from 2019-2022. “They play themselves out of the NBA. The NBA will move on from you quick, man. What he’s done is incredible. It’s a testament to his work ethic, to his commitment, to his character.”

The tales are endless. At Virginia Tech, Alexander-Walker arrived at the gym in the wee hours, organizing workouts later nicknamed “The Breakfast Club.” With the Pelicans, Alexander-Walker played a G-League game with a broken hand. Doctors cleared him to use only his left. He drained a 3-pointer from the right wing on the first possession and was, according to Pannone, still the best player on the court. Alexander-Walker had a distinct level of intentionality long before he arrived at this stage.

But Finch and the Timberwolves staff still deserve additional credit. Minnesota’s coaches have provided him incremental minutes over the last three seasons. His rebound, assist and point averages have all risen. The mutual respect and trust allows Finch and others to coach Alexander-Walker with some bite.

Hence, the challenge from the staff before Thursday night.

Alexander-Walker had been reeling. He shot 9-of-34 in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, then began Game 1 against the Warriors by going 0-of-3. Teammates noticed his angst. They could see the struggles spilling over to the rest of his versatile role. Alexander-Walker searched for any tidbit of inspiration. He reminded himself of variance. He read a Bible verse.

He even watched one of Gilbert Arenas’s podcasts, during which Arenas discussed players’ psyches in the playoffs, feeling like they need to do more. Alexander-Walker felt seen. Caring consumed him. It wasn’t the first time, and it probably won’t be the last.

Unsurprisingly, he seemed cognizant of all of this after the relief of Thursday night, so much so that he mentioned hoping to teach his son the lesson of this stretch: That it could and can always be overcome.

(Top photo: Jesse Johnson / Imagn)

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