Patience is a virtue and opportunity is key in the NBA.
Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels earned Defensive Player of the Month honors in the Eastern Conference for November.
He averaged 3.0 steals, 6.7 deflections, and 2.8 forced turnovers per game during the month. Daniels also averaged 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists during that stretch. He is tracking to set new career highs with 13.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.1 SPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.0 BPG.
Defense has never been a question for Daniels.
San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Defensive Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in October/November, becoming the first recipients of the new award. pic.twitter.com/tDMp2T6wny
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 3, 2024
Daniels has long been respected as one of the top young perimeter defenders in the league. This season he has taken that to a new level, though.
He entered the season with a goal of contending for First Team All-Defense, and had made a strong case already. And while his offensive efficiency has not exactly scaled – he is shooting a career-worst 28.9% from 3P – Daniels has consistently found a way to impact the game.
How he finishes the season will be key.
Dyson Daniels, Hawks proving patience, opportunity keys to success
Daniels was the No. 8 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hawks acquired him during the 2024 offseason in their trade sending Dejounte Murray to New Orleans.
After logging 20-plus minutes in 23 games as a rookie and 37 games in his second season, Daniels has not played fewer than 23 minutes in 2024-25.
He has logged double-digit shot attempts in all but two of those games.
Daniels had six games with double-digit attempts in 2023-24 and none as a rookie with the Pelicans in 2022-23. If there was ever a case for a player, especially one who entered the league as raw as he did as an international prospect, it is Daniels.
He flashed his potential in a bit role while with New Orleans, stepped up when called upon during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics for Australia, and now is having a breakout season.
It takes time for prospects to develop, and they have gotten younger in recent years.
Average age of the Top 30 picks in the draft year by year.
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) June 15, 2024
The NBA said no more high schoolers and teams went for youth even more. pic.twitter.com/NVbFnewrgo
That uptick at the end coincides with some notable performances from recent older first-round picks. But teams still tend to skew toward younger prospects based on their potential, which is the most dangerous word in sports.
Too much patience due to a player’s potential can lead to stagnation for them and the team. A swift judgment can lead to a player flopping out of the league or taking off with another team.
Daniels’ breakout comes at an opportune time.
He will be extension-eligible next offseason, and the Hawks have shown a propensity to reward their young players (even if it has led to trading them away in many instances). Jalen Johnson inked a five-year, $150 million extension right at the deadline before this season.
Daniels is unlikely to see that sort of payday. But he figures to get a significant bump from his current four-year, $25 million pact.