Hawks GM: Scouting department 'crushed it' on Dyson Daniels

“(Daniels) was one guy that, when we were engaged with the Pelicans, he was a must for us to be in that deal,” Fields said. “We saw the archetype, we knew who he was as a person — doing our homework — and just the type of player that he was then and what he could be in a change of environment. (The Hawks’ scouting department) did a really good job in that.”

As Sugiura writes, the Hawks were high on Daniels back in 2022 when he entered the NBA draft as a 19-year-old due to his positional size, his promising tools, and the fact that he was one of the younger players in the draft class.

They had the No. 16 overall pick that year and didn’t get a chance to select the Australian prospect, who went eighth overall to the Pelicans, but Fields and the Hawks’ scouts continued to keep an eye on him over the next couple years.

“There was a lot of really good indicators there that would suggest he was going to have a real chance to be a good player in the NBA,” Fields explained, noting that while Daniels’ defensive tools were obvious, Atlanta was bullish on his offensive potential too. “We see the indicators and areas that he could grow. We’re looking at what his floor is, and we really liked that. And that takes a lot of work in combing through a number of different games and situations and not just watching highlights.”

For Fields and his scouting department, the Murray trade with New Orleans has gone “about as good as they could have hoped,” one NBA scout told Sugiura. Besides acquiring Daniels, the Hawks received Larry Nance Jr. and a pair of future first-round picks in that swap.

Daniels has been the prize so far though, emerging one of the NBA’s most impactful defenders while taking a significant step forward offensively too. The 22-year-old has averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a league-leading 3.0 steals per game through 64 outings (all starts), with a shooting line of .485/.345/.587.

“It’s always really exciting to watch a player kind of blossom in front of you, especially when he’s on your team,” Fields said. “… I think our scouting group crushed it on this one.”

Daniels looks like a lock for a spot on an All-Defensive team and will likely receive plenty of Most Improved Player votes too. Defensive Player of the Year voters have historically favored big men, but the third-year guard has also made himself a legitimate DPOY contender by wreaking havoc on that end of the court. Daniels’ 194 steals and 382 deflections give him a massive lead over the second-place player in each category (117 and 248, respectively).

“Dyson’s just been killing. He’s been all over it — Defensive Player of the Year for me,” Clippers guard Ben Simmons recently told Grant Afseth of RG.org in a conversation about Australia’s growing talent pool. “It’s hard not to give it to him. I think he’s just everywhere. He has great hands, and he’s really guarding everybody.”

While Draymond Green publicly made his own case for Defensive Player of the Year recognition on Tuesday night, Daniels declined to advocate for himself in quite the same way when he was asked after the Hawks’ win over Charlotte about his chances for the award.

“Just having my name in that conversation is pretty special,” Daniels said, per Jerry Donatien of Clutch Points (Twitter video link). “I set myself a goal of being First Team All-Defense. Now the goal is Defensive Player of the Year. I don’t want to sit here and pump my tires too much in what I do — I’m just letting my game do the talking.”