The Hawks recouped a majority of what they traded away for Dejounte Murray, and it’ll be a massive win for Atlanta if one piece in particular pans out — Dyson Daniels.
The former first-round pick didn’t realize his full potential in New Orleans, but the expectation in Atlanta is that Daniels is better set up for success. The Hawks, led by Trae Young, desperately needed an elite point-of-attack defender like Daniels.
He’ll slot in next to Young or Kobe Bufkin with the second unit and be a plus player in transition and on the defensive end of the court. The hope is that his shot comes along; that’s when his game will take off. It may be sooner than initially expected because he keeps impressing on the international stage for Australia.
About a week ago, Dyson Daniels showed flashes against Team USA, knocking down 50% of his three-pointers and converting 75% of his field goals for 14 points to go along with three steals in only 20 minutes of work. That continued in his latest outing.
He once again recorded 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from deep to go along with five assists and five steals. And from a Team Australia pundit, Dyson is considered one of the most important pieces for the Boomers.
Dyson Daniels has quickly gone from the end of the Boomers bench last year to one of most important pieces through these tune up games.
A menace defensively, knocking down his threes and finding opportunities on cuts.
— Michael Houben (@michaelhoub) July 21, 2024
Those attributes — a menace defensively, knocking down threes, and finding opportunities on cuts — mesh with exactly what the Hawks need next to Trae Young. Dyson Daniels may end up being one of those pieces of the trade that we look back at and think, “How did we get him?”
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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