Dyson Daniels did what he does best and made life miserable for Charlotte.
In Atlanta’s 128-81 rout of the Hornets, the Hawks guard turned in a steal clinic, piling up seven takeaways and once again showing why his defense is already setting the tone early this season. Daniels, who has made no secret that his shooting needs work, spent much of the offseason trying to sharpen that part of his game. But against Charlotte, his calling card was unmistakable.
He was everywhere in passing lanes, snatching away a backcourt dribble from Hornets rookie Christian Anderson and jumping multiple passes as the Hawks kept feeding off his disruptive presence. NBA on ESPN highlighted the barrage with a video montage on X, formerly Twitter, after Daniels kept poking possessions loose over and over again.
The Hornets didn’t help themselves much, either. Without LaMelo Ball, Charlotte looked like a team missing a steady hand to organize the offense, and several of the passes Daniels intercepted never had much chance of finding their target.
The Great Barrier Thief had 7 steals 😳
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 24, 2026
Dyson Daniels setting the tone for the Hawks 😤 pic.twitter.com/3F39SzIat3
Daniels finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists to go with those seven steals, and he’s off to a blistering defensive start with 12 steals through his first two games. The two-time NBA All-Defense Team selection still hasn’t knocked down a 3-pointer, even after all the offseason work on his shot.
Atlanta had plenty of other firepower, too. Jalen Johnson and Aaron Wiggins each scored 19 points, and the Hawks handed Charlotte the heaviest blowout loss in franchise history while improving to 2-0.
Next up is the home opener Saturday against the Houston Rockets, and Atlanta will try to keep its perfect start rolling at 3-0.
In Other News...
Dyson Daniels Is Giving The Hawks A Defensive Edge Few Teams Can Handle
Dyson Daniels has already become part of the early-season conversation in Atlanta because of how much ground he covers on the defensive end. Through the first two games, he has been everywhere for the Hawks, helping shape wins over the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets while also chipping in enough on offense to keep his impact from feeling one-dimensional.
What stands out most is the way Daniels keeps turning live-ball chances into momentum for Atlanta. He made a habit of jumping passing lanes and forcing mistakes against Charlotte in particular, and his comments afterward reflected how alert he was to the defensive openings in front of him. For a Hawks team trying to establish an edge, that kind of disruptive presence can change the tone of a game fast. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Get An Early Identity Test With 3-0 On The Line
The early-season pulse check gets a little sharper for Atlanta with Houston coming in as the kind of opponent that can expose soft spots. The Hawks have a chance to move to 3-0, but the Rockets bring a defensive edge that should make this more than a routine tune-up, especially for a team still trying to define what its identity looks like on both ends.
Jalen Johnson is part of the conversation because matchups like this tend to show where Atlanta is comfortable and where it still has work to do. Houstons physical style, particularly around the paint and the boards, figures to put the Hawks under a harder kind of pressure than they have seen so far, and this game should tell a lot about how ready they are to answer it. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Win Showed The Identity Change Fans Have Been Waiting For
Atlantas win over Charlotte was the kind of game Hawks fans have been waiting to see more often, with the lead never really in doubt and the defense setting the tone from the opening stretch. The teams renewed emphasis on being deeper and tougher showed up in the way it disrupted the Hornets, turned defense into offense, and got important contributions from Daniels, Aaron Wiggins, Kingston Flemings, and Corey Kispert.
The bigger takeaway was not just the result, but the style of it. Atlanta has talked all season about building an identity on the defensive end, and this one looked much closer to that vision, with the Hawks active, connected and relentless in a way that can travel when the schedule gets harder. If this is the standard they can keep reaching, it changes the conversation around what this team can become. [Read more 🡒]