NBA Rookies: Dyson Daniels Makes Impact in Pelicans' Win

Dyson Daniels made an impact in the Pelicans' win in his first real NBA action on Tuesday night.

While several rookies are immediate, high-impact players for their respective squads, especially those taken with some of the top selections, others are still working themselves into the fold.

One of these is lengthy guard-forward hybrid Dyson Daniels, who saw an impactful game for the Pelicans on Tuesday night.

After playing just three minutes in the first three games, Daniels saw 22 minutes in Tuesday’s contest. He scored 11 points, grabbed three boards and dishing out two assists, but more importantly provided his patented defense on some of the league’s best players.

Daniels finished with three steals and a block, usually some of his length to guard the likes of Luka Doncic at times, as well as others.

With offensive juggernauts Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, excellent sub-stars in CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas, and young up-and-comers like Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III, it could be hard to find a role for Daniels this season. But his unique skillset, and more importantly stalwart-esque defense, should be able to keep him on the court.

In other rookies news, Detroit’s Jaden Ivey saw another moderately productive games, scoring 11 points and dishing out four assists. Jalen Duren saw the same, finishing 3-for-6 from the field with six points.

Johnny Davis’ struggled continued as the combo guard saw just three minutes, finishing 0-for-2 from the field in that span. Thunder lottery selection Ousmane Dieng had a similar night, finishing 1-for-4 in 10 minutes played.

Top pick Paolo Banchero and potential Rookie of the Year Award leader Bennedict Mathurin are back in action on Wednesday night.

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