Dyson Daniels Has Been Everything The Atlanta Hawks Could Have Hoped For

Daniels has quickly become one of the best defenders in the NBA this season

Nov 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) reacts after defeating the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

When the Hawks made the blockbuster trade in the summer of 2022 to land Dejounte Murray from the Spurs, the thought was they were getting a good defensive complement to Trae Young in the backcourt and someone who could handle the ball when other teams pressured Young and forced him to get the ball out of his hands.

It never quite worked like that though. Murray and Young never seemed to mesh on the court together and Murray was not quite the defensive stalwart that the Hawks needed him to be. After two seasons, the Hawks made the decision to move on from Murray and he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for a trade package that included Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, and two first-round picks. Daniels had been buried on the Pelicans bench due to their wing depth on the team, but the hope was that he could be the kind of defensive guard and perimeter defender that they were getting with Murray.

He has been all of that and much more. It is very early in the season, but Daniels has looked like one of the Hawk's foundational pieces for the future and a candidate for awards like Most Improved Player and maybe even Defensive Player of The Year. He has been the kind of player that the Hawks thought they were getting when they traded for Murray.

Daniels currently leads the league in steals, averaging 3.6 steals per game and the next closest player is Jordan Poole at 2.3 per game. He has recorded at least six steals in three games in a row.

Dyson Daniels doing what he does pic.twitter.com/Yfci5M6ouG

— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 13, 2024

Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawk's defense is 8.6 points better per 100 possessions when Daniels is on the floor and that is in the 86th percentile in the league. The turnover percentage is in the 88th percentile when Daniels is on the floor. At his current pace, Daniels is going to have a chance to set a new NBA record for steals per game.

it's (extremely) early, but Dyson Daniels is on pace to have the second-highest steals per game in NBA history pic.twitter.com/mshFxyQxuH

— Wes (@bloghawk) November 13, 2024

Daniels currently leads the NBA in deflections with 76 total deflections and the next closest players are Alex Caruso and Nikola Jokic with 44. That is a crazy high number, but it just shows how disruptive Daniels has been this year.

Daniels is still finding his way on offense, but he is figuring things out on that end as well. The defense is what stands out though and he has been one of, if not the best and most impactful defensive player in the NBA this season. Daniels has been one of the best stories in the NBA so far and has been everything the Hawks possibly could have hoped for when they made the decision to trade for him.

Additional Links:

Bill Simmons Gives Ridiculous Trae Young Take After Hawks Beat Celtics

Trae Young Reacts To Hawks Huge Upset vs Celtics

Instant Takeaways From Hawks Improbable 117-116 win Over Boston