Dyson Daniels sets Hawks franchise record, continues historic season

With eight games left, "The Great Barrier Thief" needs another 13 steals to surpass Allen Iverson (225) for the most steals by a player in a season in the 21st century. He is just five away from eclipsing Chris Paul (217) for most steals since the 2007-08 season. If he were to collect seals at his pace of 3.1 per game, he'd assuredly pass both Iverson and Paul, and could threaten some marks from the 1990s. 

Alvin Robertson (301) still holds a commanding lead over the rest of the pack for the single-season steals record he set in 1985-86. 

Most stocks since 2009

Daniels' impact on the defensive end goes beyond steals. The 22-year-old has the most stocks (213 steals + 48 blocks) by any guard since Dwyane Wade in 2009. He has also been a nightmare of a one-on-one matchup for the NBA's elite. On Sunday, he did a number on Giannis Antetokounmpo, holding the Bucks star to 3-of-8 shooting as his primary defender. 

The Aussie has similarly shut down some of the NBA's best scorers this season, holding Jayson Tatum to 9-of-24 (37.5 percent), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) and Donovan Mitchell to 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) in their previous matchups. Daniels has almost singlehandedly turned the Hawks into a respectable defensive unit. Trae Young and Co. have jumped from 27th to 18th on defense since acquiring Daniels from the Pelicans in the 2024 offseason. 

With 213 steals in 69 games, Daniels has almost double the number of steals as the second-placed SGA, making him a legitimate contender to win Defensive Player of the Year.