Dyson Daniels said he was happy to be gone from the New Orleans Pelicans. While much of his sentiments seemed to highlight what the Pelicans did wrong, they also underscored what the Atlanta Hawks were doing well in what was then just the infancy of his tenure.
Daniels sure feels like a lock for first-team All-Defense. And he should at least get some love for Defensive Player of the Year, which has become a big man’s award over the years.
However, Daniels’ progress on the other end is also raising eyebrows amid his historic defense.
“The defense is awesome. It’s extremely disruptive, all of that. I’ve kind of liked his offense. I think he does really interesting things on the offensive end in terms of his cutting. He had to play with the ball in his hands the other day in a game I watched because Trae wasn’t playing. That was a little bit too much of a role for him, being the primary guy. But you can watch it and go, ‘Man, when he’s the secondary creator on the floor next to Trae, this works perfectly,” Bryce Simon told Sam Vecenie on the “Game Theory” podcast on March 12.
“I just find myself watching the Hawks play and really loving what Dyson Daniels is doing, and it's not just defensively, Sam. I like a lot of what he’s bringing on the offensive end as well and what seems to me like true growth on that end of the floor.”
Daniels is averaging career-highs with 13.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and a league-leading 3.0 steals per game.
Simon also pointed to the Aussie guard’s corner-three-pointer prowess (41.3% for his career).
Next step for Dyson Daniels: Creation
“Anybody that watched a lot of Pelicans basketball last year would tell you that he is like a top-10 defender on the perimeter in the NBA, right? He has always been awesome on that end. It's jst that the offense was actually holding him back from getting on the court and allowing him to weaponize his defense. Taking the leap on offense is what’s allowed the defense to thrive,” Vecenie told Simon.
“He is a real offensive player. Here’s the thing: he grew up playing point guard. He has those skills. He’s always been a pretty good passer. I feel like that’s the thing we haven’t even really seen a ton of yet, is the ball screen passing ability that I do think is within there.”
Part of the reason Daniels does not get as many on-ball reps as may have been projected before the season is because he has become so integral as a starter.
There is not much opportunity with head coach Quin Snyder needing to keep him fresh.
Young is averaging a career-high in minutes and has missed five games, none of which have come in succession. Again, there just have not been many opportunities for Daniels to take the reins as the lead guard.
However, the Hawks can take some comfort knowing that he has that in his bag, and that he has fit so well next to Young.