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Three Takeaways from Dyson Daniels' 2024 Olympics Run

What did we learn about the third-year guard from his time as a starter for the Australian national team in the 2024 Olympics?

Rohan Raman

Jul 27, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Spain guard Sergio Llull (23) is defended by Australia point guard Dyson Daniels (1) in men's Group A play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Spain guard Sergio Llull (23) is defended by Australia point guard Dyson Daniels (1) in men's Group A play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
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After being acquired by the Hawks in the Dejounte Murray trade, there was some thought that Dyson Daniels could become the shooting guard of the future for Atlanta. His athletic tools (6'7 with a 6'10 wingspan) and defensive abilities (defensive box plus-minus of 2.4 in 2024) seemed like a perfect pairing next to Trae Young.

If his performance in the 2024 Summer Olympics is any indication, those projections could soon become a reality. Daniels' run in Paris with the Australian national team ended yesterday after losing to Serbia, 95-90. Admittedly, it was not his finest performance. Daniels missed both of his shots and struggled on offense. He did have four steals, but Australia desperately needed an offensive punch that they ultimately failed to find.

Still, his run of good performances before the Serbia game should not be ignored. Before the Serbia game, he averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game as one of the main options on the Australian team. Therefore, it is reductive to say that Daniels cannot be Young's main backcourt partner in the NBA. In particular, I thought there were three reasons to give Daniels that opportunity after his Olympics play.

Hawks Desparately Need His Defense

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Hawks' perimeter defense was ghastly last season. They allowed the fourth-most threes last season and conceded the third-highest percentage from deep. There is little doubt in my mind that Daniels will improve this figure. He was consistently one of the best perimeter defenders for Australia, tying Patty Mills for a team-leading 1.5 steals per game. This is a player who the Pelicans were comfortable sticking on Luka Doncic as a 19 year-old.

His frame, active hands and instincts looked especially impressive in the games against Spain and Canada. Even though he is listed as a guard, he had no problem matching up against a big wing like Canada's R.J Barrett or a bigger guard like Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He can fight over screens, get into passing lanes and does not bite on obvious fakes. Look no further than his performance against Spanish guard Lorenzo Brown, who finished 3-10 with seven turnovers after being guarded by Daniels for a significant portion of the game.

This tournament did not necessarily reveal anything new about Daniels on defense, but good defenders go out and shut down their assignment. Even in the Serbia game, he led the team in steals and did not drop off on defense despite his shot not falling on offense.

Shooting Numbers Are Solid, But....

The biggest thing that I was hoping to see from Daniels is growth as a shooter. Throughout most of the tournament, his three-point shot was effective. He shot 38.5% on 3.3 attempts a game and showed a quick trigger. Plays like this are a great example of the types of shots he's going to get with the Hawks:

Looking at his shooting data from 2023-24, Daniels is a good three-point shooter from the corners. He hit 39.2% of his attempts from the corners, which is a little better than league average. However, he is not much of a shooter from anywhere else beyond the arc. His shooting from a wider variety of spots looked better in this tournament, but I'm not sure if he'll be a league-average shooter from beyond the arc in 2024-25. His shooting touch (64% on free throws last year) doesn't suggest that there's a ton of hidden upside as a three-point shooter.

That being said, I wonder if Daniels could develop in a similar way to his teammate on the Australian team, Dante Exum. In Exum's age-19 season with the Utah Jazz, he hit 62.5% of his free throws and shot 31.4% from three-point range. Daniels had similar shooting numbers in his age-20 season (64.2% on free throws, 31.1% on threes). What's interesting is that Exum eventually became a good three-point shooter, hitting 49.1% of his threes on two attempts a game in 2023-24 with the Mavericks. It took nearly ten years and a stint overseas to get there for Exum, but it's not impossible for Daniels to drastically improve his shot. If Daniels can stay healthy and grow comfortable working off a premier offensive engine in Young, he could eventually become a respectable threat from beyond the arc. Young is not Luka, but he is a elite offensive creator that teams build their defenses around stopping. If Daniels is on a similar development curve to Exum, he could benefit from Young's presence in the same way that Exum did with Luka. New Orleans did not consistently have a player who demanded that type of attention. Atlanta does.

Underrated Passing

On the surface, Daniels' numbers are not a screaming indicator for playmaking upside. He posted a league-average 15.4% assist percentage and an above-average turnover percentage of 15.0%. However, he was the second-best passer on the Australian team outside of Josh Giddey. Even after his rough Serbia game, Daniels dished out 3.5 assists per game, which was the third-highest on the team.

His passing really shined in the Greece game, where he dropped eight assists. The Hawks' bigs will benefit from his entry passing, which he showed off in the second clip below. He can also make tough passes to find open shooters in the corner, as evidenced by the fourth clip below. The Hawks probably won't rely on him for playmaking due to having Young and Jalen Johnson, but he can definitely be a connective passer that will keep the offense moving.

Daniels' defense and shooting gets a lot of scrutiny, but it's worth discussing his playmaking because it's his best secondary skill. There is some potential for him to be a capable facilitator for the lineups that don't feature Young or Johnson.

Despite the ending, I think the tournament was overall a net positive for Dyson Daniels. He showed that he could handle a big role with the Australian team, which bodes well for his long-term outlook. It'll be exciting to see how he develops with Atlanta.


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Rohan Raman
ROHAN RAMAN

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