Dyson Daniels reveals says leaving Pelicans for Hawks allowed him to ‘play free and be myself’, praises teammate

Dyson Daniels credits Trae Young with his successes

During his two-year tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans, Daniels was not on a roster with a true point guard. CJ McCollum is more of a shooting guard, and Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson had to shoulder playmaking duties.

As a result, Daniels averaged only 4.8 points per game on 43.5% shooting. In Atlanta, Daniels shared the backcourt with Trae Young, who led the NBA in assists.

As a result, he got better looks and made the most of them.

“For me to find that offensive game, playing alongside Trae, he made my life a lot easier, being able to play in the pocket with him, him finding me for my shots, and stuff like that,” Daniels revealed.

Of course, it’s impossible to mention Daniels’ success without harping on his defense. He averaged 3.0 steals per game this season, the most since Alvin Robertson in 1991.

While playing for the Australian Boomers in the Paris Olympics, Daniels received more responsibility than he ever had in the NBA, and he made the most of it.

“Since the Olympics, it’s really kind of just taken off for me, and getting traded was the first real step that I was able to get a new start in Atlanta and kind of just go in there and play free and be myself,” he continued.

“It was just a good opportunity for me to reinvent myself as a basketball player and find myself again.”

Daniels, alongside Young, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher, is expected to be a massive part of the Hawks’ successes moving forward. Of course, Atlanta has a long way to go before it can compete, even in the weak Eastern Conference.

How Hawks can take the next step

Johnson played in only 36 games last season, although he is poised to be a breakout candidate next season.

On top of that, Young shot only 34.0% from deep, and Risacher, despite showing flashes, was still a very raw player. While a lot of the Hawks’ improvement this summer will be internal, they boast the 13th pick in the NBA Draft and the ability to lure free agents like Myles Turner or Brook Lopez, giving them added shooting and much-needed rebounding.

Of course, even with Daniels’ improvements on both ends of the ball, he is not a knockdown shooter and will need to continue to expand his offensive game.

Daniels is only 22 years old and has established himself as one of the more dangerous defenders in the league, and the rest of the Hawks have shown improvements of their own. Barring a mistake by the front office, Atlanta seems poised to join the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons as an up-and-coming team in the East.