Pelicans Guard Dyson Daniels Shines In G League Squadron Debut

Dyson Daniels is one step closer to rejoining the Pelicans after a strong performance in the G League.

Feb 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (11) drives to / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels is one step closer to returning to play for the Pelicans. Daniels' debut for the Birmingham Squadrons on Wednesday was a significant step toward that, as Daniels shined in his G League Debut. Dyson finished with 22 points, six assists, and seven steals in the Squadron's 115-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. Daniels has not appeared in NBA action since February 9 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

22 PTS 👏 6 AST 👏 7 STL

2022 NBA lottery pick Dyson Daniels BALLED OUT in his @GleagueSquadron debut! The 6’7” Australian posted career-highs in points and in steals today vs. the Blue. pic.twitter.com/1Ls1I5YqM2

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 27, 2024

The Pelicans announced after that game that Daniels suffered a knee injury that required meniscectomy surgery. He recently went through a full practice, consisting of five-on-five drills before the Pels assigned him to the G League this week. Daniels has appeared in 52 games this year for New Orleans, averaging 5.5 points and 2.6 assists per contest. Despite missing more than a month of playing time with the knee injury, Dyson is still Top 10 in the NBA with 2.8 deflections per game.

New Orleans is in a fierce battle for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. They currently are the No. 5 seed in the standings, just 0.5 games behind the Clippers for the fourth seed, but only one game ahead of the Mavericks for the sixth seed.