Dyson Daniels entered the season openly stating he wanted to earn first-team All-Defense and could walk away as the steals champion and maybe even more.
He has recorded more steals than any player in the NBA since 2009.
While his steals get all of the attention, Daniels does not shy away from doing the dirty work defensively. His efforts have been noticed, and he received a rather telling vote of confidence from NBA peer and Australian countryman, Ben Simmons.
“Dyson's just been killing. He's been all over it — Defensive Player of the Year for me,” Simmons, now with the Los Angeles Clippers, told RG.org’s Grant Afseth in an interview published on March 17. “It's hard not to give it to him. I think he's just everywhere. He has great hands, and he's really guarding everybody.”
Hawks fans know Simmons best for his mental lockup during the 2021 playoffs; the same season the Hawks went to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Before that, though, Simmons earned two All-Defensive first-team nods.
He is also a former steals champ in addition to three All-Star appearances, was on the All-Rookie team – Simmons was the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft – and earned Rookie of the Year.
His career has been derailed by injuries in addition to the perception that he is too passive offensively, which only got amplified during that playoff series against the Hawks.
Defensively, though, Simmons’ opinion is certainly valid.
“Simmons’ praise carries weight given his own defensive résumé,” Afseth wrote. “His recognition of Daniels reflects the high standard he applies when evaluating defensive impact across the league.”
Dyson Daniels tries to explain secret to steal savviness
Daniels had 3 steals in the Hawks’ 134-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets on March 18. Asked after the game about prying the rock loose so frequently, Daniels pointed to many factors.
“I think it’s just being in the right spot, having quick hands. Knowing when to reach, knowing when to fan out and stuff, tip the balls and stuff like that. So I think it’s just a bit of everything. Bit of defensive IQ, so I don't really know how I do it. But I just keep doing it,” Daniels told reporters.
“Getting steals,it’s, obviously, beneficial because it usually causes a transition opportunity going down, and it makes it easier to get buckets that way. So I think having quick hands, having a good defensive IQ, being in the right spot, they all go into being a good defender. And that's what I pride myself on, on that end of the floor.
“That’s what I want I want to be: the best defender in the league,” Daniels said “I want to show that every night.”
As for the recognition that could come with that, such as winning DPOY?
“Just having my name in that conversation is pretty special,” Daniels said. “I set myself a goal being first-team All-Defense and now the goal is Defensive Player of the Year. I don't want to sit here and pump my tires too much on what I do, but I'm just letting my game do the talking for itself.”
Daniels – who had 22 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, and 1 block versus the Hornets – also delivered more cold truth for his teammates when asked if they were peaking at the right time.
“To be honest, no,” Daniels said. “We’re too up and down right now. We have to stay consistent. Tonight [versus Charlotte] was a step in the right direction, but we had two bad games before this. So we got to stay consistent, keep building. And if we do that then come playoff time, I think we'll be a scary team.”
Daniels was a longshot third at +1000 to win the award as of March 18, per FanDuel.