Dyson Daniels desperately needs his confidence back.
Daniels was on top of the world last season after winning Most Improved Player and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. With a future $100 million contract on the way, life was good for the Australian guard.
Fred Katz of The Athletic recently recalled an interview with former Atlanta Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr., who “acted like a proud older brother” when speaking about Daniels. Nance Jr. said about his former teammate, “It’s been really, really fun to see his growth from a confidence perspective” (subscription required).
Halfway through his second season in Atlanta, however, it’s clear any confidence Daniels gained last season has been sapped. He’s shooting a truly abysmal 10.9% from deep and has simply stopped shooting. He’ll get the ball at the top of the key at times and hesitate, presumably knowing he would normally take the open three but not having the confidence to act on this impulse.
Confidence is everything, and Daniels is walking proof
Gordon Hayward, the retired All-Star who led some fun Utah Jazz teams, suffered a catastrophic injury at the start of the 2017-18 season. Just five minutes into his Celtics debut, Hayward went up for a poorly-thrown lob pass. After getting sandwiched between Jae Crowder and LeBron James in the air, the Celtics forward landed awkwardly, leading to one of the ugliest injuries in basketball history.
Hayward was never the same player afterwards. While some of this can be attributed to the loss of athleticism and mobility from such a disastrous injury, Hayward also credits his self-doubt for his decline.
In an episode of Podcast P hosted by Paul George, who also suffered a horrifying broken leg, Hayward said that his recovery process “was lonely,” but “it was even harder the next year when I’m coming back.” Because he recognized he had lost a step, Hayward “started doubting [himself]” after returning to action the following season. He followed with, “Once, I think, doubt creeps in at all, at this level it’s really hard for you.”
Daniels is working through a similarly stressful moment, although unlike Hayward, he can fully recover from his setback.
The doubt has already crept into Daniels’ game, and it doesn’t take an expert to identify this. From his hesitation when open to his over 50% decline in three point attempts per game, it is clear as day that last year’s Most Improved Player is not as confident as he was last season.
There are many paths that Atlanta could take to solve his shooting, but none will be effective until he returns to the headspace he was in last season. Perhaps it will just take a winning streak coinciding with a hot streak from three to solve this issue; perhaps it will be a slower timeline.
Either way, Daniels needs Hawks fans’ support just as much as they need his performance to improve.