Deason Daniels got his ‘swag back’ against the Magic. Atlanta needs it

ATLANTA, GA – Dyson Daniels was one of the biggest surprises for Atlanta Hawks last season, too led him to the Most Improved award and be nominated for Defensive Player of the Year. A few games into this season, Daniels hasn’t looked like the player many saw on offense last year. He missed the shots he usually takes, looked hesitant and didn’t feel comfortable on that end of the ball.

Trae Young is out with an MCL sprain, Daniels knows his game had to changeand in the past three games there was a difference. In their win against the Orlando Magic, he got back to your old waysfinished with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists, shooting 8-of-9 from the field.

He was a big reason for the win, and his teammates want to see more of the same from Daniels.

“Deason had a good night,” Jaylen Johnson said after the game. “It was nice to see him get that swagger back. It was nice to see him just come out aggressive, come out and play defensively like he always does. We just need him to be aggressive because obviously that takes our team to new heights, and we’re excited to continue to build on that.”

Zachary Rizacher, who led the team with 21 points, was the beneficiary of some of Daniels’ assists.

“It’s great to play with Dyson. He’s able to play defense as well as offense; he makes good plays,” Rizacher said. “He’s a good playmaker. We had all of last season together, so I know where to make sure he finds me, and that’s the chemistry we’re starting to see since we’ve been together since last year and during training camp.”

This is the Daniels everyone wants to see, and he has the ability to continue this level of play as the season continues.

The Hawks remain consistent in their win against the Magic

The Hawks entered the game with one against the Magic, and ended the night with two. This time they did it without Young, and relied on their defense to get the job done. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were kept in check for most of the game, and the Hawks had to defend them with the help of multiple bodies.

“We have a lot of defenders we can throw to them,” Johnson said. “Mo (Guie) and (Onieka) did a great job on (Paolo). It was a great team effort. Guys like that, I think it’s more of a collective unit than an individual. Obviously, individual defense plays a role, but as a team we did a great job with our top guys. It comes together at that end.”

Offensively, the Hawks continued to move the ball down the wire, which led to some easy shots, especially for Rizaher, who had a season-high.

“I feel like I played the right way and I was effective,” Rizacher said. “That’s really my goal, trying to make an impact offensively and defensively.”

If the Hawks want to keep winning without their offensive engine, they will have to keep playing like they did in this game.