Hawks' Dyson Daniels reveals honest reality of DPOY race
03/28/2025 03:11 PM
Dyson Daniels has been putting on a masterclass on the defensive side of the ball this season for the Atlanta Hawks, and it’s led him to have his name in Defensive Player of the Year conversations. As of now, it looks like he’ll be battling against Evan Mobley and Draymond Green for the award, and he may be the odd man out for one reason.
Big men are usually the winners of the award, and the last time a guard won it was Marcus Smart in the 2021-2022 season. Daniels knows the reality of who usually comes out on top, but he still thinks he deserves to be in the conversation.
“I feel like it's a big man's award,” Daniels said via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “If you look at the big men in the NBA today, usually the past few years, it's been a big man in that conversation who protects the rim and gets blocks. Obviously, before Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) went down, he was the frontrunner for the award.
“I think I do a little bit of everything on the floor. I protect the rim as a guard. I get steals. I defend well one-on-one and contest shots. I don't want to talk about it too much. I let the people see it for themselves.”
It’s obvious that Daniels has the stats to back up his case for DPOY, as he has more steals this season than any player in the last 15 years. He’s leading the lead in steals and deflections, and he’s made an impact on the entire Hawks’ defense.
Dyson Daniels continues to make a case for DPOY
Daniels isn’t the only person who believes he has a case to win DPOY. Trae Young has been one of his biggest advocates throughout the season and recently shared his thoughts on why his teammate should win.
“I think his numbers speak for themselves, Young said. “We got a few more games to keep going, he gets to put on some more numbers, and hopefully, we can stack some more wins too, so that'll help his case.
"Dyson is the best defender I've seen in person, with my own two eyes. He's definitely one of one. When you have a guy out there that does so much on the defensive end, you forget what he does on the offensive end sometimes, and that's a good thing."
It will be interesting to see what happens when the season ends and if the NBA will award Daniels for the season that he’s having.
The post Hawks’ Dyson Daniels reveals honest reality of DPOY race appeared first on ClutchPoints.
