When the Atlanta Hawks traded for Dyson Daniels in the 2024 offseason, they found a franchise building block and lockdown defender. However, he quickly showed he could contribute on the offensive end as well, winning the 2024-25 Most Improved Player Award.
Daniels increased his scoring average from 5.8 points in 2023-24 to 14.1 points per game in his first season in Atlanta. In contrast, his scoring decreased this season to 11.9 points per contest.
While Jalen Johnson's return from injury changed Daniels' role, the 23-year-old guard struggled in two important areas: three-point shooting and the willingness to finish through contact. He must reverse these trends heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
Daniels must re-establish himself as somewhat of a shooting threat
Daniels shot a shocking 18.8% from beyond the arc this season. That number plummeted from the 34.0% he shot in 2024-25. Daniels consistently increased his volume and makes from deep over his first three NBA campaigns, but he hit a wall this season. His three-point struggles not only lowered his effectiveness, but they had a snowball effect on the entire team.
Opposing teams often guarded Daniels with a rim-protecting center this season. Bigs left the Hawks' guard alone on the perimeter, daring him to shoot, while they protected the paint. This shrank the floor and gave slashers like Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jonathan Kuminga less room to operate.
The New York Knicks employed this strategy against Atlanta in the playoffs, and it only created more half-court offense issues for the Hawks.
Daniels posted a career-high 1.1 threes made on 3.1 attempts per game in 2024-25, and teams rarely put their center on him. These numbers showed tremendous growth in his perimeter shooting trajectory, but it all came crashing down this season.
He must find a way to get back on track in 2026-27 and get his efficiency closer to the 31.4% and 31.1% he shot in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, respectively.
Daniels may never become a knockdown shooter, but if he can return to respectable three-point efficiency, it would elevate his game and Atlanta's entire offensive attack.
Daniels must be more willing to finish through contact
Daniels is at his best when he drives to the rim. At 6-foot-7, he has the length and craft to finish inside against a collapsed defense. The No. 8 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft averaged 9.8 points in the paint per game this season, but when Daniels had to finish through contact inside, he often shied away.
One reason for this issue could be his free-throw troubles. Daniels only shot 61.5% from the charity stripe on 1.6 attempts per contest in 2025-26. If a shot blocker stood in his way, he relied on his floater or simply passed up the shot. In the playoffs, the latter hurt Atlanta on a few occasions.
Instead of trying to finish through Karl-Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson, Daniels tried to pass out of the shot in the air. This resulted in several turnovers and easy fastbreak opportunities for New York. Come next season, Daniels must be more willing to embrace more contact inside. He already possesses the length and size to challenge shot blockers, but his mindset needs to shift.
Head Coach Quin Snyder encouraged Daniels to keep shooting and being aggressive throughout this season. This trend will undoubtedly continue over the offseason and into 2026-27. Hawks fans will be able to tell early-on if Daniels is ready to have a bounce-back shooting campaign.
If so, Atlanta could reach new heights.
Add us as a preferred source on Google