Hawks rising star Dyson Daniels makes history amid breakout season

Daniels' 36 steals through 10 games is the second most by any player with a new team, four more than Hall of Famer Gary Payton's 32 steals with the Sonics in 1990 and only one fewer than Alvin Robertson.

It's not just on the defensive side that Daniels is wreaking havoc. During the Hawks' 117-116 win over the Celtics on Tuesday, he finished with a career-high 28 points to go with six steals, seven assists and three rebounds. 

With 4:51 left in the final period of a neck-and-neck game, Daniels made a game-tying three and followed it with another key basket to bring the Hawks within one at the 3:50 mark. He iced the game with two free throws, all while locking up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the other end of the floor. It was a breakout performance if there ever was one.

The athletic wing is the first player since Michael Jordan in 1987 with at least 62 points and 19 steals over a three-game span.

Daniels has been so dominant on defense that his 36 steals over 10 games are 15 more than the second-placed Jalen Williams, and his 76 deflections are 32 more than the second-placed Alex Caruso, a former two-time All-Defensive player. The youngster is lapping the field on most defensive metrics thus far. 

Alvin Robertson (3.67) holds the record for most steals per game. If Daniels (3.60) can keep at his current pace, Robertson's record could be in serious jeopardy.