New Orleans Pelicans: Nickeil Alexander-Walker is stepping up

Most of the news around the New Orleans Pelicans recently has been negative, but there are plenty of good things happening around the Pels as well.

The Pelicans’ dysfunction has been well documented and there are already people speculating (without much evidence) that Zion Williamson is unhappy and plotting his exit from NOLA.

We’ll know more about that once training camp starts, but until then there are other, more positive stories coming out of the Pelicans’ camp.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a player many believe is primed to have a breakout season and his improvement may be the key to not only making the playoffs, but showing Zion that there is enough talent here to win long term.

With all the talk around Zion Williamson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been quietly improving behind the scenes and taking on more of a leadership role this offseason.

New Orleans Pelicans: Nickeil Alexander-Walker is ready to make the leap

NAW spent most of the summer playing with Team Canada, and though his team ultimately failed to qualify for the Olympics, it was a positive experience that will undoubtedly help his confidence and poise this season.

Workout videos have shown that NAW has put on strength and is adding more weapons to his bag, focusing on his shot off the dribble, which will be crucial to his development.

NAW is also reportedly taking on a more active role as a leader on the New Orleans Pelicans, who are a very young team and need some of these players to step up:

Gestures like this might seem small in the grand scheme of an offseason, but they help to build camaraderie and team chemistry, especially when there has been so much drama the last few seasons.

The best way to keep Zion for the long term is to build a fun and cohesive roster around him that gets along both on and off the court.

There is no word on whether Zion attended this dinner and night out or not, but it’s nice to see some of the Pels’ youngsters taking on a leadership role and embracing team building.