The Ascension of the Great Barrier Thief

Credit : Atlanta Hawks/ NBA

Dyson Daniels has been a revelation for the Atlanta Hawks ever since they acquired him in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans. The Hawks received Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two future first-round picks. At the time, some thought the Hawks were just trying to dump Murray's salary after seeing that the Young and Murray pairing wouldn't work. But little did they know that Daniels could be the answer they have been searching for next to Trae Young.

I remember at that time some were arguing who would start at the two spot for the Hawks: Daniels or Bogdan Bogdanovic. Now, fast forward to today and Bogdanovic is on the Los Angeles Clippers while Daniels is currently in the running for Defensive Player of the Year and possibly on the way to a big contract this off-season.

Credit: NBA/ Atlanta Hawks

Daniels is currently on a 36-game steal streak and has scored 10 or more in a career-best 17 straight games. He also leads the league in total deflections with 357; that's 113 more than 2nd place, which is Kelly Oubre Jr with 244. Daniels leads the NBA with 3 steals a game, which if he can maintain this pace for the whole season. It will be the first time a player has achieved that since 1991 or, to put it more simply, the first player this century to do that.

He is also the number one defensive option on the Hawks and is tasked with guarding the best offensive player on the other team. According to Stat-Muse, Daniels' defensive rating is 111.0, which is in the top 20 for defenders on the site. When the Hawks got him, they knew defense was his strength, but to get this level of production so soon defensively has been huge. He has set a cultural tone with his activity and play. He inspires his other teammates to play just as hard.

The offensive side of things was the biggest question mark for Daniels. He had only averaged 5.8 PPG in his best season in New Orleans (although he was only there for two years). This season, as a first-time starter, he is averaging 14 points, shooting 48 percent from the field, and hitting 35 percent of his threes. That is all impressive since the belief is that it would take his offense some time to develop. He has been developing a floater that he had in New Orleans but is now using it more to help with his scoring output. He even combined it with a spin move. Clutch Points Atlanta Hawks reporter Malik Brown asked him about that after a game against the 76ers, and Daniels said, " If you get a bump, you’re usually going to take a step back, and I use that momentum to spin and get to my floater”. He has an 18.1 usage rate with the Hawks as he has upped his offensive load.

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The biggest improvement throughout the season has been Daniel's shooting. While with the Pelicans, he shot 31% from three. As I've mentioned, he's raised that with the Hawks. But if you further break it down, going back to before the All-Star break, he shot 33 percent from behind the arc. After the break, he's shooting 50 percent. Now, he is only averaging two three-point attempts per game with that percentage, but it is still impressive. He was taking 3.3 before the break. But the fact is that, based on the eye test, his shot looks more confident, which brings excitement to the coaches and fans. If Daniels can become a consistent shooter, it raises his ceiling that much more.

Additionally, Daniels has also been the backup point guard for the Hawks ever since 2nd year player Kobe Bufkin went down for the year. Daniels has been growing in that position all year and has been able to hold down the spot. Whenever Young misses games, Dyson also steps up in his absence. In four games without Young, he's been the de-facto starting PG and lead ball-handler. In those games, he's averaging 21.5 points, shooting 58% from the field and 38% from three, with 6.3 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4.3 steals. Plus, the Hawks are 3-1 in those games. Daniels has become a jack of all trades for the team. 

Credit : Atlanta Hawks

There could be a path for Daniels to perhaps become an All-Star level player for the Hawks. If that happens, he will be Trae Young's first All-Star teammate of his career (unless Jalen Johnson does it first). He heads into an off-season where he could be getting an extension and it could be lucrative. The Hawks may want to get it done soon just because waiting another year could raise the price even more.

Overall, Daniels has said, " see ball, get ball" and has certainly taken the ball given to him by the Hawks and ran with it. He may finally be the long-term answer for the backcourt with Trae. It seems like he will be here for years to come in Atlanta. The Australian-born player is representing a whole country but also making a name for himself. The Ascension of the Great Barrier Thief could be one of the biggest blessings for the Atlanta Hawks franchise.