Dyson Daniels' emphasis on defense earned him a starting job in his first year in Atlanta and league-wide respect.
Daniels, who led the NBA in steals while making dramatic improvements in scoring, rebounds and assists for Atlanta, was named the league鈥檚 most improved player Wednesday.
Daniels beat out fellow finalists Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers and Cade Cunningham of Detroit.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to separate yourself somehow and I鈥檝e done that on the defensive end of the floor,鈥� Daniels said.
The 22-year-old Daniels emerged as a productive starter at shooting guard for the Hawks after in the trade that sent high-scoring guard Dejounte Murray to New Orleans on July 6.
Before the trade, Daniels was best known for his defensive play. Injuries and other trades helped clear the way for the 6-foot-7 Daniels to flourish as a scoring complement to Trae Young while providing impressive all-around production.
鈥淚 got told a lot this year that my defense is infectious,鈥� Daniels said. "To me, that means I鈥檓 doing my job.
鈥淚 know as a team we have a long way to go on the defensive end but I think this year we took a step in the right direction.鈥�
Daniels now is entrenched as an important foundation player for the Hawks, joining Young, forward Jalen Johnson and 2024 No. 1 overall NBA draft pick , who was the runner-up in Tuesday鈥檚 won by San Antonio鈥檚 Stephon Castle.
Daniels led the NBA with 229 steals, the most since Seattle鈥檚 Gary Payton had 231 in the 1995-96 season. He finished as the in the voting for NBA defensive player of the year.
Daniels鈥� nickname 鈥� Great Barrier Thief 鈥� is a nod to his roots in Australia and defensive prowess.
Daniels鈥� impressive gains as a scorer, defender, rebounder and play-maker helped him claim the top spot in the voting for most improved player. Thanks to his role as a starter beside Young in Atlanta鈥檚 backcourt, Daniels improved his scoring from 5.8 points per game with New Orleans in 2023-24 to 14.1, his rebounds from 3.9 to 5.9, his steals from 1.4 to 3.0 and his assists from 2.7 to 4.4.
Daniels became only the fifth player since 1973-74 to average at least 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals, joining Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Michael Ray Richardson and Alvin Robertson.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder lobbied for Daniels to be recognized as the league鈥檚 top defensive player but also took note of the young guard鈥檚 overall gains.
鈥淚 think his ability to be as effective as he is on the ball, you see that and feel that,鈥� Snyder said. 鈥淚 think also his ability to drive the ball. So to me, those two things are his aggressiveness. And in order to be aggressive, you have to be fearless. So I think maybe the biggest thing that I wanted to try to communicate to Dyson to the extent we can instill something in someone is don鈥檛 be afraid to make a mistake.鈥�
Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers praised Daniels鈥� impact as more than a defensive specialist before a late-season game in Atlanta.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 so refreshing to see a young guy come to the league with that makeup,鈥� Rivers said of Daniels. 鈥淥h, he wants to score. He鈥檚 learning. He鈥檚 working on his game. But he鈥檚 making an impact now. His size is what differentiates him from everyone else, though. He鈥檚 big, like big, tall, strong, long arms. And he鈥檚 tough.鈥�
The Hawks received Daniels, forward-center Larry Nance Jr., center Cody Zeller, a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2027 first-rounder in the deal for Murray.
Daniels鈥� immediate impact and the draft picks made the deal a success for Atlanta. The trade wasn鈥檛 enough to save general manager , who was fired on April 21. The Hawks finished 40-42 and were 0-2 in the play-in tournament to miss the playoffs.
鈥淚 think we really showed growth this year and obviously we didn鈥檛 get to where we wanted, nowhere close,鈥� Daniels said. 鈥淏ut we can definitely make some noise next year and I鈥檓 looking forward to it.鈥�
The most improved player award, like several other NBA honors, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season.
The other awards that were part of that voting process and have already had their results unveiled: San Antonio's Stephon Castle winning , Cleveland鈥檚 Evan Mobley winning , New York鈥檚 Jalen Brunson winning and Boston鈥檚 Payton Pritchard winning
Other awards announced by the league since the end of the regular season: Golden State鈥檚 Stephen Curry won the and Warriors teammate Draymond Green won the
Awards that will be announced later in the playoffs include MVP (either Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver's Nikola Jokic or Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo), coach of the year (either Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson or Houston's Ime Udoka), plus the All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams.
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AP NBA:
Charles Odum, The Associated Press
