The Atlanta Hawks may be out of the NBA playoffs, but they celebrated a major victory today with the latest achievement of their young guard, Dyson Daniels. According to the NBA’s latest reveal, Daniels is this year’s Most Improved Player for his tremendous growth on the court, and he believes it was well-earned.
“This is my third year in the league, and my first two being in New Orleans, and I feel like I kind of went in there and wasn’t myself,” said Daniels on Inside the NBA after his MIP win. “I took a kind of backseat role. I came into this year wanting to put my foot down and show what I could do. I think it’s just a small step in the right direction, and I have a lot more in me.”
The George Mikan Trophy is intended for the player who has shown the greatest improvement in their game or who has shown the greatest development in their skill from previous seasons. This year, the ballot included 14 names across various franchises, but Dyson Daniels finished with a pretty sizeable lead (146-point difference) over the second-leading vote-getter, Ivica Zubac, who earned 23 first-place votes.
Daniels, 22, just finished the third season of his career. After being drafted eighth overall by the Pelicans, he spent his first two seasons there with averages of 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Since coming to Atlanta, however, Daniels has become a real difference-maker on the court (14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists), and his role has increased tenfold.
“For me, it was like just getting a fresh start,” said Daniels on his move to Atlanta. “Being in New Orleans in my first two years, I wasn’t happy with how I performed. Coming to Atlanta, I got an opportunity to get a fresh start, get that starting two-guard spot, and play alongside a really good team. I think it’s just coming in with the right mindset, working hard in the offseason, having a good Olympic campaign, and coming in and being myself. I think that was the main thing this year, I had trust in my coaches and my teammates, so I was able to be myself.”
Daniels was a bright spot for the Hawks in what was an otherwise unremarkable season. Despite his contributions in the backcourt, the Hawks finished just eighth in the East at 40-42. They lost in the play-in tournament for the second straight year.
Going into next season, the Hawks are facing major uncertainty about their roster, but Daniels is likely a part of their long-term future. With another two years and $13.7 million on his contract, Daniels is locked in until 2026, but he could earn a lucrative extension if his current trajectory continues into next season.
With Trae Young and Zaccharie Risacher, the Hawks are trying to build a team that can compete for the title, but they still have a long way to go before they hope to keep up with the Celtics or Cavaliers in the East. For now, the best course of action is to be patient with their young core and continue to build up their future stars.
