To be clear, it only took 34 minutes and 32 seconds of the 48 minutes in the Atlanta Hawks’ season-opening win over the Brooklyn Nets for Dyson Daniels to show his team’s chances at challenging for a playoff spot than some may have believed.
Many will nitpick that an opening-night win over a Brooklyn Nets team that is expected to contend for the bottom holds little weight.
But, in a bit of an extension of the preseason, process over results.
Daniels finished the game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals. Notably, the last Hawks player to do that was Dejounte Murray, whom the Hawks traded to the New Orleans Pelicans to land Daniels during the 2024 offseason.
The Hawks got several other players and two potentially valuable first-round picks in 2025 – which originally belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers – and 2027.
Daniels is the best player the Hawks received in the deal.
The No. 8 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, the 6-foot-7 defensive ace’s biggest question mark was his perimeter shooting. For one night at least, that was not in question with Daniels sinking 2-of-4 triples.
He also showcase his toughness, stepping to Nets center Nic Claxton after a hard foul sent him crashing to the deck.
Dyson isn't gonna blink. pic.twitter.com/L7Wga4jvhv
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 24, 2024
Trae Young, Quin Snyder praise Dyson Daniels after Hawks’ win over Nets
“Dyson is a hell of a player,” Trae Young told reporters on October 23. “I'm going to be probably over-complimenting him all year. Just playing with him, just playing alongside him so far, it's been fun. He's going to make my job a lot easier on both ends. Not just defensively, offensively . He cuts, he’s smart. I can get him the ball, and if there's not something there, he's coming right back to another action.
“He's just a smart player. a young player still trying to establish himself. But I feel like here in Atlanta, he's going to do that really well and put himself on the map even more.”
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder also touted the impact Daniels’ defensive effort can have.
“Anytime you see someone guarding with both the combination of being able to contain and also to be able to make plays and not get out of position – you're seeing your teammate doing that – you're forced to kind of raise your level,” Snyder said after the game.
That last line could be one of Snyder’s most prescient this season. And if it is, the Hawks won’t have much trouble getting to the postseason.
Their defense has held them back more often than not.
They are not likely to become defensive juggernauts. But they can be active and switchy, which allows them to turn defensive wins into points on the other end. Daniels’ experience as a lead guard serve him well in that regard.
Between Daniels, Young, and Jalen Johnson, the Hawks have a trio of players capable of initiating offense in the halfcourt but who also thrive in transition.
The Hawks had that with Murray last season too.
They have it at a far lesser cost and with better stopping power with Daniels and their current group. Their next challenge will be LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, October 25.