Dyson Daniels has been a defensive menace for the Hawks, and it’s put him in Defensive Player of the Year talks this season. Daniels is leading the lead in steals and deflections this season and is on a streak of recording at least two steals in nine straight games. He’s also recorded at least one steal in 33 straight games, which is the longest streak in the NBA this season.
It’s obvious with those stats Daniels deserves to be in some conversations, and coming into the season, he just wanted to be on an All-Defensive team. Now, with the year he’s having, aiming high is a must.
“It’s cool just to be mentioned, to have my name be mentioned in that category,” Daniels said via Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Consitution. “And, yeah, coming into the season, my goal was to be first-team All-Defense. And now the goal is Defensive Player of the Year. And I think… you can go for MVP, you can go put up shots. But for defense, you’re not a detriment to the team playing defense. That’s going to help the team. So there’s no real stat padding on the defensive end.
“It’s going out there and just making plays. And for me, yeah, it’s a possibility, but I’m not too zoned in. And I just want to, win games. And the playoffs is what we’re trying to get to. So we need to win some more games.”
Daniels has been a big part of the Hawks winning games down the stretch, and he did it again against the Memphis Grizzlies with seconds remaining. As Desmond Bane was driving, Daniels picked his pocket and threw the ball to Caris LeVert on the break, where he made the game-winning layup.
Dyson Daniels’ defense has been a game-changer for the Hawks
There’s an art to getting steals, and Dyson Daniels has it down to the tee. Though he may seem like he’s being aggressive, he plays to his strengths, while playing to the opposing player’s weaknesses.
“It’s reading the game and making sure that I ‘gamble responsibly’ as I say when I go for steals,” Daniels said during Hawks’ practice. “A lot of times I’m coming from weakside getting them, if I could put pressure on the ball and get hands on it, I like doing that. It’s about being solid and making sure I’m not fouling, playing straight-up defense, and contesting shots.
“When I’m guarding guys, I know they have the ball in a vulnerable position, that’s when I swipe at it. I’m going to keep getting them because that’s just how I play, but I want to keep myself out of foul trouble.”
With those skills, Daniels has been able to make history on the defensive end, and there’s no telling what his stats will look like at the end of the season. At just 21 years old, Daniels seems to be just scratching the surface of what he can do on the floor, and his offensive game is starting to pick up as well.
He’ll be eligible for a contract extension in the offseason, and with what he’s been able to do, the price tag might be hefty for the Hawks’ defender.
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