Dyson Daniels’ shooting woes quietly forced him to become a better player

A 43-day streak without a made three pointer doesn’t seem like a positive development on the surface. If anything, you might guess it is the nail in a player’s coffin or the start of their downfall. 

Dyson Daniels’ 43-day, 18-game cold spell was a dark time for Atlanta Hawks fans. Daniels, who looked like the next Jrue Holiday or Derrick White as the Robin to their star Jalen Johnson, hit rock bottom. While the team and fanbase never gave up on their budding defensive specialist, you couldn't help but wonder how effective he could be in a playoff series if he can't shoot.

With his jumper not falling, Daniels had to pivot. He was still starting for Atlanta and shouldered a large offensive load, playing a majority of these games without Trae Young or Kristaps Porzingis. Playing point guard with just Jalen Johnson as a primary option, Daniels rediscovered his greatest strength: his strength.

Daniels has become a slashing beast since the cold spell

Daniels is perhaps the strongest player in the league relative to his height. While he might not be as burly as the short-armed Desmond Bane, nor contain the total muscle mass as the towering Steven Adams, there are very few (if any) wings in the league that can out-muscle Daniels.

Dyson first mastered using his strength on the defensive end, absorbing contact from driving players without issue. Combined with his elite foot speed and basketball IQ, Daniels became one of the best perimeter defenders in the league rather quickly. 

His offense, however, always lagged behind. Daniels was never a bad offensive player on the Hawks, per se, but he wasn’t always a game-changer. His passing, screening, and understanding of spacing and off-ball movement allowed him to offset his shooting woes by excelling everywhere else. But the truth of the matter is that, at the highest level of playoff basketball, Daniels’ weaknesses would be too great to overcome with his more passive skill set.

Daniels has found a new rhythm

Since the cold spell, however, Daniels has become a far more aggressive slasher. He has always been elite at generating paint touches, which correlates with good offense. But before, Daniels would often pass at the top of the paint, still 10+ feet away from the hoop. While this is technically a paint touch, it doesn’t collapse the defense the same way a drive all the way to the rack does. Daniels has since redefined his dribble-drive game, insisting on reaching the cup and either finishing the layup or making the correct pass. 

Dean Oliver of ESPN, who I would call the father of basketball analytics, found that Daniels was the third-most improved player in the league offensively based solely on in-season development. His offensive improvement buoyed a rise to the overall most improved player, just one year after winning the Most Improved Player award.

This is quite a remarkable progression considering his three point percentage plummeted from 19.2% over his first 20 games to 12.5% over the following 47 games – his offensive improvement in other aspects offset a significant decrease in individual scoring.

Since the Hawks' 11-game win streak began, Daniels has averaged 12.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.7 APG, 2.5 STL, and just 1.0 TOV. Critically, he has become an efficient scorer, posting a scorching 62.1% EFG, a 9.6% increase over his season average. If Daniels' aggression can continue to translate to above-average scoring, he'll be a true offensive threat in a modern recreation of the pass-first point guard. (What if Celtics Rajon Rondo was also the best defender in the league and also 6'7?)

Daniels seems bound to shoot above 30% from deep again, as he did over the first three seasons of his career. Even if he doesn’t, his traumatic seven-week stretch forced him to improve in a way he may never have felt the urgency to do otherwise. 

Daniels’ offensive improvement came right on time for a Hawks team that is preparing for what could be their first playoff series of the Jalen Johnson era. If March Madness can teach us anything, it’s that being hot at the right time can be enough to create an inspiring run. Atlanta is the hottest team in the league, and Daniels’ offensive improvement has been a large factor in this run.