Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels has turned in a season that doesn't seem to be properly understood or appreciated. Many have inevitably and perhaps even rationally fixated on the fact that he's shooting 18.6 percent from beyond the arc—a woeful number in every sense of the word.
As Daniels begins to fix his jump shot, however, the Hawks are being rewarded for the patience they've shown as he's taken another step forward in his evolution as a player.
Daniels converted a grand total of 12 three-point field goals between his first 66 games played in 2025-26. That's a shocking number considering he converted 80 threes on 34.0 percent shooting across his 76 appearances in 2024-25.
Daniels has looked far more like the latter player than the former in recent weeks, however, as he's flipped a switch and found his confidence as a shooter.
Daniels has buried nine three-point field goals over his past eight games—just three fewer than he managed in his first 66. He's also increased his average attempts from 1.4 to 2.5. During that time, he's shot 56.8 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Though such a dramatic leap may not be sustainable, Daniels is proving a pivotal point: His shot may not have been falling, but he's been building toward an all-around evolution that too many overlooked.
Dyson Daniels is suddenly making threes as his evolution takes hold
Daniels is scoring 2.3 fewer points per game in 2025-26 than he did in 2024-25, but he's also shooting 2.4 percent better from the field and 3.0 percent better on twos. He's also increased his averages by 1.4 assists per game and 1.6 assists per 36 minutes while committing 0.3 fewer turnovers per 36.
At a career-best 5.8 assists per game, Daniels has been the most reliable playmaking guard on the Hawks' roster—a development that's allowed their unique rotation to flourish.
Jalen Johnson is thriving as the team's lead facilitator, but Daniels' ability to run the offense from the backcourt has taken a great deal of pressure off of him. Johnson thus doesn't need to pound a crater into the court to set plays up, as the Hawks have multiple high-level points of entry.
Daniels' development as a facilitator has also permitted combo guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker and CJ McCollum to play their natural offensive roles and thus avoid compromising their scoring.
Dyson Daniels is allowing Hawks' combo guards to play without compromise
In addition to making the game simpler for those around him, Daniels is in the midst of quite a statistical season. He's averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, which puts him in rather significant company.
Since 2020, only three other players have averaged at least 10.0 points, 5.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while appearing in a minimum of 50 games: Jimmy Butler, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dejounte Murray.
Daniels has done all of this while ranking in the 99th percentile in matchup difficulty as a defender, per Basketball Index. In addition to taking on opponents' best offensive players at the point of attack, he's blowing up the pick and roll, shutting scorers down in the post, and thriving away from the ball.
Per Basketball Index, Daniels ranks in the 99th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and ball screen navigation, the 94th percentile in pickpocket rating, the 89th percentile in screener rim defense, and the 81st percentile in post defense.
Suddenly willing and able to knock down outside shots, Daniels has simply taken the long road to becoming one of the most well-rounded players in the NBA.