2019 NBA Mock Draft: Tankers beware

The cousin of 2018 No. 11 pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who will hopefully pair with Jerome Robinson to become the Clippers’ backcourt of the future, Alexander-Walker’s game is clearly cut from the same cloth.

Neither is an incredible athlete, instead developing a style based more on craft and intelligence than overpowering physicality. However, Alexander-Walker was on draft radar screens far more than his cousin early last season, based on the belief that Virginia Tech’s blitzkrieg offense would unleash the 6-5 combo guard, who played point guard during high school.

Instead, the Hokie offense severely limited Alexander-Walker. No one player really “ran” the offense, with coach Buzz Williams instead using smaller lineups with multiple ball-handlers to confuse opposing defenses and space the floor. Ultimately, it worked — the Hokies cobbled together the 27th-most efficient offense in the country.

Alexander-Walker shot 39 percent from 3, but turned the ball over often and never really got an opportunity to drive into the middle of the floor in the halfcourt and make plays. He was a shooter and ball-mover, and Williams reduced each player to a role that doesn’t really exist in the NBA.

The hope is that next season, with Alexander-Walker integrated more fully into the program, that he can dominate the ball slightly more and really take control. He has the physical tools and feel to hike up the ceiling on the Hokie offense, if he were just allowed to do so.