Dyson Daniels wasted no time reminding everybody what he can do when Atlanta put the ball in his hands on opening night.
The story around Daniels has shifted hard since his breakout 2024-25 season, when he emerged as one of the league’s most popular players and won Most Improved Player. But the conversation changed fast after last season, when his three-point shot fell off a cliff and he hit just 18.8% from deep. That number took over the narrative, even as his playmaking, downhill pressure and offensive rebounding kept showing up.
Against Orlando, Atlanta made sure Daniels was part of the plan early.
He didn’t make either of his two three-point attempts, but that barely mattered in the box score. Daniels finished with 20 points and led the Hawks in scoring after the first half, when he already had 16 to go with four steals. His impact came from all over the floor, but especially around the rim, where he kept converting through contact and over defenders.
The Hawks kept feeding him near the basket, and he kept making them pay. Even when he started a possession at the top of the key, Daniels was able to shake his defender, spin into the lane and finish. It was the kind of night that showed exactly why Atlanta wants the ball in his hands.
And while the national conversation has leaned heavily on what Daniels has not done from three, that still doesn’t erase the rest of his offensive value. He’s already a reliable finisher, and his ability to create pressure on the ball gives Atlanta another layer offensively.
Even if some people want to reduce him to a shooting problem, Daniels is still the type of player who would earn major minutes purely from his defensive work against the league’s best scorers. The offense is just the bonus.
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Quin Snyder May Already Have A New Hawks Closer
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Hawks Try To Stay Unbeaten With One Roster Question Looming
After opening the season with a win over Orlando, the Hawks head into their matchup with the Hornets with an early chance to build on that momentum. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels helped set the tone in the opener, and Atlanta has already shown enough to suggest its rotation can withstand a few bumps this early in the schedule.
The injury report, though, gives the Hawks one lingering roster wrinkle to sort through. Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar are both out, with Gueye still working back from a summer foot injury and Veesaar sidelined for the season, leaving Atlanta to keep juggling depth as it tries to stay unbeaten. [Read more 🡒]