Hawks guard Dyson Daniels has strung together a remarkable season since the team acquired him during the offseason. With the news that Spurs center Victor Wembanyama will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder condition, specifically deep-vein thrombosis, a path for the Hawks guard to win Defensive Player of the Year becomes a little clearer.
The Spurs announced Wembanyama’s injury Thursday, capping the center’s season at 46 games. In the NBA collective bargaining agreement released in 2023, the league looked to revamp its player-participation policy to make sure stars take to the court more often. The NBA mandated that players appear in a minimum of 65 games in a regular season to be eligible for all of the NBA’s end-of-season awards.
Wembanyama was a favorite to win this year’s award. But now sidelined, the odds for who could win the award have shifted dramatically.
According to VegasInsider, Daniels, who won the league’s first Defensive Player of the Month award in November, has the third-best odds to pick up the award behind the Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley.
A guard has won the award only once in the past 26 seasons, and Daniels is making a case to be the first since Marcus Smart took home the award at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Over 50 games, Daniels has shown his quick feet, active hands and the ability to pick the pocket of opponents who turn their back on him. His hip strength allows him to absorb the bumps from offensive players looking to drive past him, thus helping him to keep his balance and recover quickly.
His relentlessness on the ball, has earned him a reputation for being a frustrating defender. Guards like Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson have shown visible irritation when going up against Daniels, which has led to some unfortunate mistakes.
Daniels also has shown a propensity for fighting through screens, instead of going around them, which allows him to stay on the hip of the players he is defending. He has strong instincts for where the ball will go, allowing him to get into passing lanes and take the ball out of play or move into fast breaks for quick baskets.
The 21-year-old leads the NBA in total steals (149), with 49 more than the next closest player. He also leads the NBA in steals per game (3.0), averaging 1.1 more per contest than his nearest competitor.
This season, Daniels had put up 19 games with at least four steals, which is the most games in a single season since 2008-09 (Chris Paul, 20).
While Daniels’ stats have popped off the page and his defensive performances have excited fans in the NBA, the Hawks’ roller coaster of a season dampens his case just slightly.
The Hawks currently sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 26-29 record, despite their strong start to the season. Injuries have ravished the team, and they’ve had some tough losses against teams that have records at or far below .500.
So, Daniels’ quest to make his case to be the first Hawks player to win the award since Dikembe Mutombo (1996-98) begins Thursday. The team returns to the court to face the Magic in its first game after the All-Star break.
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