In his first preseason game of the 2026 season, Dyson Daniels certainly didn't disappoint, making his presence known from all cylinders despite their loss. Daniels finished the game with 19 points, 8 rebounds,10 assists, and 4 steals, shooting 50% from the field in 36 minutes of action.
However, despite the impressive stat line, the Rockets exposed Daniels' biggest weakness in the first quarter by assigning Alperen Sengun to guard him. While the Rockets did switch out of this defensive matchup after a few minutes, this raises a more pressing question: can teams guard Daniels with their center?
Despite Sengun giving Daniels a disrespectful amount of space on the perimeter, Daniels was hesitant to shoot. Time after time, he passed up on his easy looks, either by continuing to swing the ball to the perimeter or by holding the ball, stalling the offense. For a player whose offseason was spent prioritizing offensive improvement, this inconsistency is alarming.
Where Daniels was able to exploit this matchup was by driving into the paint and kicking to the perimeter. However, Sengun is a particularly weak perimeter defender at the center position. Other big men Daniels will face will be better equipped to handle a drive from the slasher, potentially mitigating the advantages he can create in this situation.
Daniels needs to prove to teams that they cannot guard him with a center
This issue isn't coming from his mechanics, however. In fact, this issue isn't coming from anything physical at all. The real issue lies in Daniel's confidence in his offensive strides, and more specifically, his reluctance to pull the trigger on the shots he needs to take.
The Hawks invested in Daniels as a long-term piece to connect their new offense with their established defensive presence. However, if he continues to show this hesitancy on offense, teams will inevitably try to exploit it. To Daniels' credit, his passing still looked phenomenal, but a continuation of this offensive hesitance could halt the offensive rhythm that Atlanta thrives on.
It's important to remember that this is still just the preseason, and despite the negative aspects of Daniels' game that fans could point out, he still showed a significant improvement on offense in his first action since April. For a player who spent his entire summer forming his offensive identity, though, the real solution lies in Daniels' own self-assessment, trusting the work that he's put in.
This small issue doesn't seem to be something that holds too much significance in the grand scheme of Atlanta's offense, but if Daniels can overcome this minor hiccup in his game, his performance last night may just be scratching the surface for what's to come for the fourth-year guard.