Dyson Daniels is one of the most elite defensive players in the NBA.
Despite his steals per game number dropping from a historic 3.0 to just 2.0 this past season, he remains one of the most feared ball hawks in the league. Opposing stars hate seeing the Hawks on the schedule - with a lot of it having to do with him being on the other side.
His two steals a night last season - despite being a dip in production from the year prior - still ranked him atop the league in that specific category, tied with Detroit's Ausar Thompson for first.
Even with his impressive numbers, much of Daniels' nightly impact doesn't show up in the box score. He's one of the best ten defenders in the NBA, but not everyone seems to think so.
Daniels was disrespected in recent NBA defender rankings
In Bleacher Report's recent ranking of the top 30 defensive players in the sport, Atlanta's Daniels landed several spots outside of the top ten - at #14.
Here's what they had to say about the placement:
"[Daniels] has some of the best hands and instincts in all of basketball, knowing the precise moment to go for a turnover and when to play it safe and stop a driving attempt instead."
He sure sounds like one of the best defenders in the sport, especially considering what he accomplished the year prior - his breakout campaign that earned him Most Improved Player honors - was only done by "seven other players in the history of the league."
His recent campaign brought even more attention to his game, but mostly for the wrong reasons.
While he did improve in nearly every other category, people just can't seem to ignore his poor outside shooting. It didn't, however, take away from any of his defensive impact or ability to make plays for others.
Daniels isn't the only Hawk to be disrespected by these recent rankings
Lu Dort - Atlanta's marquee addition of the offseason - carved out a reputation for being one of the most tenacious defenders in the world during his undeniably successful OKC tenure.
Upon arriving to Atlanta, it seems that reputation has taken a hit.
Dort landed at #26 in Bleacher Report's rankings, with his former teammates Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren notably ahead of him.
This comes right after they described the newly-acquired Hawk as the "focal point of the Oklahoma City Thunder's defensive attack" during their years of Western Conference contention.
Atlanta's wings are being disrespected, and now it's up to them to prove them wrong.
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