Last season, Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished No. 6 in Sixth Man of the Year voting with the Minnesota Timberwolves. This year, in his first with the Atlanta Hawks, Alexander-Walker will likely have a larger role, serving as a de facto sixth starter. That boost in responsibility will lead to a boost in production, which will lead to a boost in attention from award voters.
Trae Young and Dyson Daniels are the presumed backcourt starters for the Hawks, but after those two, the team doesn't have loads of reliable ball-handling. I recently wrote about how NAW will be tasked with more on-ball work, and even though it's not a role he's used to, it could do him some big favors with the voters.