Former No. 1 Pick Says Dyson Daniels Should Be The Defensive Player of The Year: "Dyson's Just Been Killing It"

Will Hawks guard Dyson Daniels win Defensive Player of the Year this season?

Mar 16, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Tyrese Martin (13) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks only have 13 more games to play this season and time is running out if any players want to make a charge for any major awards. It has been a fascinating MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, Rookie of the year is coming down to the final months, and ever since Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season, the Defensive Player of The Year has been wide open. When Wembanyama was healthy, he was a shoo-in to win the award, but now, Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels has seized on the opportunity and continues to be one of the best and certainly one of the most disruptive defenders in the NBA, leading the league in steals and deflections.

Some of the NBA community has gotten behind Daniels to win the award and even some NBA players themselves, including fellow Australian Ben Simmons. Simmons was one of the NBA's elite defenders while with the Philadelphia 76ers and he gave his endorsement for Daniels to win the award in a recent interview with NBA reporter Grant Afseth:

“Dyson's just been killing. He's been all over it — Defensive Player of the Year for me,” Simmons said. “It's hard not to give it to him. I think he's just everywhere. He has great hands, and he's really guarding everybody.”

You can read the entire interview here

When speaking with @TheRGMedia, Ben Simmons endorsed Dyson Daniels to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Daniels leads the NBA with 3.0 steals per game.

Simmons also shared his thoughts on his role with the LA Clippers and Josh Giddey's development.https://t.co/IYumpOesaC

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) March 17, 2025

Will Daniels win the award? If you believe the oddsmakers, it appears that he has an uphill battle ahead of him. Currently at Fanduel Sportsbook, Daniels is third in the odds at +1200 behind Cleveland's Evan Mobley (-200) and Golden State's Draymond Green (+150). Those are some tough odds to makeup, but Daniels seemingly makes up ground with each game and has been getting some of the most vocal support around the league, including players like Simmons. Just this week, Daniels earned his 194th steal, which is the most that a single player has gotten in 15 years.

DYSON DANIELS: DEFENSIVE MENACE 😤

Check out some of his best steals from the season so far! https://t.co/6ff33uBqXZ pic.twitter.com/UEURN8snyG

— NBA (@NBA) March 19, 2025

If not defensive player of the year, what about most improved? Daniels trails there as well. At Fanduel, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is the current favorite to win the award at -230, but Daniels is close behind at +170.

The Hawks made one of the best trades of the offseason when they landed Daniels from the new Orleans Pelicans and even if he does not win it this year, he should be in the mix for years to come.

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