Defensive Player of the Year Award Possibly Coming to Atlanta
The Atlanta Hawks have had surprising young talent emerge this season, who they look to build around for the future. Despite that, the team has had an up-and-down year, currently sitting at 29-34, eighth in the Eastern Conference. Earning the sixth seed to avoid the Play-In Tournament is becoming more distant as the end of the season quickly approaches. The Orlando Magic hold a six-game lead over the Hawks and the struggling Miami Heat with only 19 games remaining. Fans question whether the team can make a deep playoff push with the lack of size in the front court and star power to play alongside Trae Young. Jalen Johnson was playing at an All-NBA level on both ends of the floor, until he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in late January. Zaccharie Risacher was the first overall lottery pick out of France in the 2024 NBA Draft. Risacher has been improving throughout the season but has struggled adjusting to the NBA. He averages 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and has shown flashes of a number one pick multiple nights. Atlanta will continue to focus on developing the 19-year-old forward, with potential to be a top two-way perimeter wing in the league.
The most surprising player the Hawks have put on notice is Dyson Daniels. Daniels is a defensive ballhawk from Bendigo South East College, located in Australia. He was drafted in 2022 to the New Orleans Pelicans where he played a minimal role for two years. The Hawks would go on to receive Daniels in a trade that sent Dejounte Murray out of town. Daniels instantly came in as a starter and made an impact. Averaging 14.0 points per game, but on the defensive side is where his numbers stand out. Daniels averages a league’s best three steals per game, which is 1.2 more than the second highest player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The last player to average three steals throughout the course of a season was Alvin Robertson in 1991.
Daniels has finished multiple games this season with video game numbers in the steal column. He’s recorded a minimum of four steals 42 different nights, which leads the league by a mile. His most recent dominant moment came on a game-winning pickpocket he made on the Memphis Grizzlies on March 3rd. The game was tied with five seconds remaining and the Hawks needed a defensive stop. Daniels ripped guard Desmond Bane and delivered a beautiful outlet pass to Caris LeVert, who made the game winning layup. Throughout the season, San Antonio Spurs center, Victor Wembanyama, was the clear favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his shoulder, and the team ruled him out for the rest of the season in February. Wembanyama is no longer be eligible to win the award, being that the NBA set a mandatory 65-game minimum players must suit up to win NBA honors. Since the Wembanyama news, the current FanDuel Sportsbook favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year is Cleveland Cavaliers big man, Evan Mobley, at -210 odds. Daniels has the next shortest odds at +500, followed by Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr. at +650. Daniels can close the gap between him and Mobley with a strong finish to the season while he continues to record high steal numbers. The last Atlanta Hawks player to win Defensive Player of the Year was Dikembe Mutombo in 1998. Daniels has a realistic chance to bring the award back to State Farm Arena.
