Since arriving in the NBA in 2022, Dyson Daniels has had to substitute his offseasons with the Atlanta Hawks in favor of his international responsibilities, with him being featured on the Australian Olympic and FIBA World Cup rosters the past two summers.
During the Atlanta Hawks' media day earlier this week, Daniels pointed out that this has been his first offseason where he hasn't had to juggle his NBA and international duties, being able to focus solely on the Hawks for a summer for the first time in his young career.
Daniels said, "This summer was really fun for me because my first two summers I had a World Cup and an Olympics, so I didn’t really get time off to work on my game, and this summer I was able to work with my trainer, work on my game"
While this may appear to be a minor development in the grand scheme of his career, Daniels would elaborate on the significance of this rare offseason for him by citing specific aspects of his game that he finally got time to focus on. Daniels was able to emphasize his offensive game this offseason, earning valuable time to improve his midrange, footwork, and his offensive bag in general this summer.
Daniels also spoke about how this offseason has allowed him to settle into his role more effectively. He credited the team around him and the depth of the new roster as his biggest motivators in keeping this offseason centered around the Hawks, saying "We've got a great team, we're very deep this year, so just trying to fit into my role better and play to the best of my ability,"
Daniels is set to take another developmental step forward
Daniels has already made remarkable improvements to his game, earning the Most Improved Player award last season for his efforts. While it might seem overly optimistic to assume he can continue to improve upon his 2024-25 season, the most critical areas he needed to address are the offensive traits he worked on this summer.
Throughout his career, Daniels' defense has been significantly better than his offense. While he showed remarkable offensive improvement last season, he still could be a liability in clutch playoff situations.
With an offseason to work on his craft, however, Daniels could take the critical leap to become a threat in his own right. He'll never be an elite isolation scorer, but if he can convert at an efficient rate on both mismatches and open looks, he and the Hawks will be in a great position moving forward.
Daniels' comments during his media day could very well be the first signal of the shift that is soon to come in Atlanta. If Daniels can carry over these offensive strides from the offseason to the hardwood, Atlanta may get to see more out of Daniels than just the lockdown perimeter defender that we've all come to know.
While his offseason may have been quieter than some fans might've hoped, Daniels has the opportunity to make a very loud impact on the offensive side of the ball this upcoming season.