After Nickeil Alexander-Walker came to the Timberwolves as part of the trade that brought Mike Conley to town in February, he saw the court for a combined 6 minutes, 12 seconds in his first three games in a Wolves uniform.
Since then, Alexander-Walker went from afterthought in the trade to the starting lineup in the playoffs. His defensive intensity and acumen earned him significant minutes down the stretch of the season and, with Jaden McDaniels out because of a broken right hand, the Wolves have started Alexander-Walker in their play-in game against Oklahoma — where he limited his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — and two playoff games against the Nuggets.