Hawks' Quin Snyder sends strong Dyson Daniels message to Most Improved Player voters
Yesterday at 07:17 PM
There’s no doubt that what Dyson Daniels has been able to do on defense has warranted him to be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, but he’s doing things on the other side of the ball that should be talked about. With injuries happening throughout the season, Daniels has come into the role as a secondary ball handler next to Trae Young but also the main creator when Young is off the bench,
There is a case where Daniels should be considered for Most Improved Player, and head coach Quin Snyder gave the guard his vote for the award.
“I feel like we have a number of guys who have gotten better,” Daniels said. “With Zacch, because he's a rookie, you don't think of him as a Most Improved, but he's improved if you put him in a bucket. Jalen's season before he got injured was tracking in that direction.
“Certainly, I'd vote for [Dyson], but that goes without saying. I think if you just study not only the defense but the way he's driving the ball, the way he's shooting the ball. Sometimes, you watch him, and he's playing with the level of confidence that has developed over the course of the season. Usually, with those things, it's a lot of players that are deserving, and I certainly feel like he's one of them.”
Daniels had increased his scoring by over nine points from last season to this season (5.8 PPG to 14.1 PPG), and he’s also increased his minutes per game as well (22.3 to 34.0). Throughout the season, there has been obvious growth in Danels’ offensive games, and he’s had to carry the load at times. He’s driving the ball more, shooting more, and finding his teammates for easy shots.
Dyson Daniels’ offensive game growing with Hawks
In the Hawks’ latest game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Dyson Daniels had control of the offense with Trae Young out, and he didn’t disappoint. He finished the game with 25 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, doing it all for the Hawks.
"My junior career I was always a 1, always being able to play with the ball, I was always running the offense," Daniels said after the game. "When you get to the NBA it's a little different, you're usually coming to a team with a guy who's already a primary ball handler, and you're playing off the ball a little bit. That's what I was in New Orleans, here in Atlanta we probably have the best ball handler in the league in Trae."
"I've always had those skills, I've always had the vision, I think when guys go down I'm able to step up and play that role."
There is an argument to make for Daniels being in most improved conversations, but it looks like the field might already be set for the award.
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