Sixteen players were drafted before New Orleans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker on June 20, but by virtually any measure, none of those draftees outperformed the Virginia Tech product during the July 5-15 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. While Memphis rookie forward Brandon Clarke (No. 21 pick) claimed MVP honors, en route to the Grizzlies capturing the 2019 championship, among summer leaguers who appeared in at least four games, Alexander-Walker placed first in scoring (24.3 ppg), fourth in assists (6.0 apg) and third in steals (2.8 spg).
After splitting their first two games in Nevada, the summer Pelicans reeled off three straight wins behind Alexander-Walker and fellow first-round pick Jaxson Hayes (second-team All-Summer League), losing for the only time in overtime vs.