The emphasis Dyson Daniels placed on defense earned him a starting job in his first year with the Atlanta Hawks and leaguewide respect.
Daniels, who led the NBA in steals during the most recent regular season while making dramatic personal improvements in scoring, rebounds and assists, was named the league’s most improved player Wednesday.
Daniels beat out fellow finalists Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers and Cade Cunningham of Detroit.
“You’ve got to separate yourself somehow, and I’ve done that on the defensive end of the floor,” Daniels said.
The 22-year-old Daniels emerged as a productive starter at shooting guard for the Hawks after arriving in Atlanta via the trade that sent high-scoring guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans on July 6.
Before the trade, Daniels was best known for his defensive play. Injuries and other trades helped clear the way for the 6-foot-7, 199-pounder to flourish as a scoring complement to Atlanta point guard Trae Young while providing impressive all-around production.
“I got told a lot this year that my defense is infectious,” Daniels said. “To me, that means I’m doing my job.
“I know as a team we have a long way to go on the defensive end, but I think this year we took a step in the right direction.”
Daniels now is entrenched as an important foundational player for the Hawks, joining Young, forward Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher, who was the No. 1 pick of last summer’s draft and the runner-up in Tuesday’s rookie of the year award won by Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs.
Daniels led the NBA with 229 steals, the most since Gary Payton had 231 for the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1995-96 season. Daniels had previously finished as the runner-up to Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the voting for NBA defensive player of the year this season.
Daniels’ nickname — “Great Barrier Thief” — is a nod to his roots in Australia and defensive prowess.
His impressive gains as a scorer, defender, rebounder and playmaker helped him secure the top spot in the voting for most improved player. Thanks to his role as a starter beside Young in Atlanta’s backcourt, Daniels improved his scoring from an average of 5.8 points per game with New Orleans in 2023-24 to 14.1, his rebounds from 3.9 to 5.9, his steals from 1.4 to 3.0 and his assists from 2.7 to 4.4.
Daniels became only the fifth NBA player since the 1973-74 season to average at least 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game, joining Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Michael Ray Richardson and Alvin Robertson.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder lobbied for Daniels to be recognized as the league’s top defensive player, but he also took note of the young guard’s overall gains.
“I think his ability to be as effective as he is on the ball, you see that and feel that,” Snyder said. “I think also his ability to drive the ball. So to me, those two things are his aggressiveness. And in order to be aggressive, you have to be fearless. So I think maybe the biggest thing that I wanted to try to communicate to Dyson to the extent we can instill something in someone is don’t be afraid to make a mistake.”
Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers praised Daniels’ impact as more than a defensive specialist before a game at Atlanta late in the regular season.
“I think it’s so refreshing to see a young guy come to the league with that makeup,” Rivers said of Daniels. “Oh, he wants to score. He’s learning. He’s working on his game. But he’s making an impact now. His size is what differentiates him from everyone else, though. He’s big, like big, tall, strong, long arms. And he’s tough.”
The Hawks received Daniels, forward/center Larry Nance Jr., center Cody Zeller, a 2025 first-round draft pick and a conditional 2027 first-rounder in the deal for Murray.
Daniels’ immediate impact and the draft picks made the deal a success for Atlanta. The trade wasn’t enough to save general manager Landry Fields, who was fired on April 21. The Hawks finished the regular season 40-42 and were 0-2 in the play-in tournament to miss the playoffs.
“I think we really showed growth this year, and obviously we didn’t get to where we wanted, nowhere close,” Daniels said. “But we can definitely make some noise next year, and I’m looking forward to it.”
The most improved player award, like several other NBA honors, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season.
The other awards that were part of that voting process and have already had their results unveiled: Castle winning rookie of the year, Mobley winning defensive player of the year, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks winning clutch player of the year and Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics winning sixth man of the year.
In other awards announced by the league since the end of the regular season, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors won the Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year award, and Curry’s teammate Draymond Green won the league’s hustle award.
Awards that will be announced later in the playoffs include MVP and coach of the year, along with the All-NBA, all-rookie and all-defensive teams.