The Atlanta Hawks are officially back to being must-watch basketball. Fresh off a stunning come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Bulls—highlighted by an explosive 50-point fourth quarter—the national spotlight is beginning to shine on this team’s potential.
Fred Katz of The Athletic recently spotlighted some Hawks players in the early-season NBA awards conversation. Dyson Daniels earned a mention in the Defensive Player of the Year race, while both De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson were listed as contenders for the Most Improved Player award.
“Could a perimeter player vault to the spot behind Wembanyama? Defensive Player of the Year is usually reserved for big men, but Dyson Daniels might have something to say about that. Daniels is getting steals on 4.4 percent of his possessions, the highest steal rate for any player since Tony Allen in 2010-11. He has 72 more deflections than De’Aaron Fox, who is second in the league. For reference, that’s the same difference as the one between Fox and 147th place. Daniels isn’t just a gambler. He’s a pest on the ball. Dribblers can’t jolt past him. As long as he keeps performing like this, he’s a lock for All-Defense, but he has two main knocks against him,” Katz writes.
Daniels has been a complete and total revelation for an Atlanta Hawks club that has struggled on the defensive end of the court with Trae Young in the fold. However, as Katz continues, Wembanyama’s impact far exceeds Daniels’ own contributions for the Hawks.
“First, a perimeter player can’t affect team defense like a big man can. And second (which may just be further proof of the previous point), the Hawks are actually better defensively with Daniels off the court. And that’s not just because Daniels plays many of his minutes alongside the defensively challenged Trae Young. When Daniels is on the court and Young is off, the Hawks defense is a sieve,” the national pundit continued.
Katz continued with the two most improved player candidates, Hunter and Johnson.
“De’Andre Hunter is another player who’s hitting jumpers like never before, though he’s developed in other ways, too. He’s getting to the line more than ever. Hunter used to avoid contact. Now he finishes through it, a big sticking point for Hawks head coach Quin Snyder,” he wrote.
Hunter should be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year and MIP. He’s averaging a career-high 20.3 points on the most efficient shooting of his career, 48.5% from the field and an incredible 44% from beyond the arc. Hunter has found his niche and has an excellent chance of taking home the Sixth Man of the Year award.
“Another Hawk, Jalen Johnson, should be on the list. Atlanta has handed more opportunities to Johnson this season, who is a better facilitator than ever. He’s never created his own shot this much and has never set up teammates like this. The Hawks offense is not just the Young show anymore. And Johnson is putting up the counting stats we normally associate with winners of this award: 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He might be an All-Star this season.”
There’s no doubt that JJ deserves to be considered the frontrunner for the MIP award. The Hawks forward can impact the game in so many different ways, from offense to defense to the transition game. He can rebound, defend, facilitate and score. Jalen Johnson deserves MIP consideration, but even more, the former lottery pick deserves All-Star consideration.
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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