Pair of Hawks make ESPN’s top 25 under 25

The Hawks surprisingly won an NBA Cup group that included two of the best clubs in basketball in the Celtics and Cavaliers. Even if they have a 10-11 overall record, with some poor underlying metrics, there’s reason to be hopeful in Atlanta.

The Hawks are 20th in offense, 21st in defense, and 20th in net rating, but they have a young core that is only finding its footing in the Association, two of which were included in ESPN’s top 25 players under 25 years old.

Dyson Daniels, who the Hawks acquired in the trade of Dejounte Murray, has been a complete defensive revelation for a Trae Young-led team. He’s averaging 13.5 points per game but more importantly, Daniels is averaging 3.0 steals per game at just 21 years old.

“After coming to Atlanta as part of the Dejounte Murray trade this offseason, Daniels has turned himself into one of the NBA’s elite perimeter defenders, averaging 3.0 steals per game. He has repeatedly had huge moments late in games at the defensive end, including stripping Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox in the final seconds of a Nov. 19 win at Sacramento, and is a clear difference-maker at that end,” Tim Bontemps writes. “The thing that will determine Daniels’ ceiling is his offense; Daniels is shooting 29.5% from 3, and his shot remains a real question. But even if it never comes around, his defense is enough to make him a real force in Atlanta.”

Daniels’s impact on the defensive end has had a profound impact, but Bontemps is correct; his ceiling depends on his shooting. If he can ever find a consistent shot, the Hawks will have found another pillar of the franchise to go along with Trae Young, Zaccharie Risacher, and the other member of the 25 under 25 club — Jalen Johnson.

The former lottery pick is averaging over 20 points per game, nearly 10 rebounds per game, to go along with 5.5 assists per game. He’s taken the next step, and as Kevin Pelton points out, his season averages put him in elite company.

“Johnson is averaging career highs in points (20.1), rebounds (9.9) and assists (5.5), putting him just shy of three players leaguewide — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis — who are topping 20 PPG, 10 RPG and 5 APG. Johnson isn’t on their level, but he has flashed All-Star potential with continued improvement as a shotmaker,” Pelton writes.

The Hawks will be lucky to capture a postseason berth, let alone win a series, but that’s not the goal. The goal should be for Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Zaccharie Risacher to take considerable steps in their respective developments as the Hawks continue to build around Trae Young.