How Dyson Daniels’ Game-Changing Transformation Took Atlanta’s Season to New Heights

Two seasons ago, Dyson Daniels was barely sneaking off the bench in New Orleans, locked in a scrum of guards all vying for a scrap of playing time. Growth was there—no question—but the opportunity to really stretch his wings? Nope, not yet. Fast forward to this summer’s trade deadline drama, and suddenly Daniels landed in Atlanta, a team desperate for a versatile wing who could light it up on both ends of the court. And boy, did he deliver. Putting up 14.1 points and grabbing nearly six boards every night, all while turning heads with lockdown defense—so much so he snagged second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. That uptick in his game? It wasn’t subtle: scoring up by 8.3 points, rebounds up 2.0, assists plus 1.7, steals ramped up by over 1.6 in a single season. The result? The Most Improved Player award—no small feat when you consider the competition. It’s a testament to persistence, timing, and pure talent breaking free. Curious how the voting shook out and how the Aussie native celebrated from halfway across the globe? LEARN MORE.

He averaged 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds a game while playing elite defense, finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Daniels improved his scoring by +8.3 points per game, rebounds by +2.0 per game, assists by +1.7 per game, and steals by +1.62 per game from last season.All that earned him the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.When the award was announced on TNT’s Inside the NBA, the Bendigo, Australia, native did the interview from his home in the island nation — with his father making an appearance in the background.Clippers big man Ivica Zubac — who has had a standout playoffs after a great regular season — came in second in the voting (23 first-place votes), with Pistons star Cade Cunningham (15) third. The Nuggets’ Christian Braun (9) and the Lakers’ Austin Reaves (3) rounded out the top five.

For his first two NBA seasons, Dyson Daniels was fighting just to get minutes off the bench in a crowded New Orleans guard rotation. He was improving, but not getting a chance to show off that growth.Daniels got 44 first-place votes from the panel of 100 global media members who vote on the awards.Then this summer he was traded to Atlanta as part of the Dejounte Murray deal. Atlanta was starved for quality two-way wings and gave Daniels a legitimate chance — and he thrived.