Dyson Daniels’ MVP award looks completely bogus

ByNBAUSA



When is it The Atlanta Hawks gave Dyson Daniels a four-year deal$100 million contract extension this offseason, it felt like a declaration: the young Australian guard was officially part of the franchise’s future core along with Trae Young and Jaylen Johnson. Fresh off winning the NBA MVP award, Daniels was seen as a two-way cornerstone, someone who could develop into a dynamic point guard capable of guarding the opposition’s best player while also taking pressure off Young offensively.

Six games into the new season, that optimism turned to disappointment.

Through Atlanta’s 3-3 start, Daniels has averaged just 7.5 points on 39.6% shooting from the field, 33% from 3-point range and a disastrous 60% from the line. Despite logging more than 31 minutes a night, he scored just 45 points overall through the first six contests.

Defensively, he remains active: His 2.3 steals per game rank among the best in the league, and he remains Atlanta’s most dangerous perimeter defender. But this isn’t a $100 million defender we’re looking at; it’s a player who seems hesitant, overly cautious and offensively out of sync. The numbers back it up: Daniels’ true shooting percentage is under 40, and he’s prone to turnovers for someone who doesn’t handle the ball full-time.

The problem isn’t that Daniels can’t defend. Everything else has regressed: his confidence, his aggressiveness, his rhythm. And for someone crowned as the NBA’s “Most Improved,” this version of Dyson Daniels it feels like a mirage.

What happened to trust?

Daniels’ biggest problem isn’t skill-based; it’s a mentality. Every possession seems difficult. Instead of attacking the paint with intent, he over-dribbles, hesitates in the arc, or takes open shots. When driving, he often settles for awkward floats or gets caught in the air with nowhere to go.

Jastrebov’s spacing exacerbates the problem. With Jaylen Johnson often occupying the interior, Daniels finds little room to cut. However, his lack of assertiveness stands out. The “most advanced” winner should look like a player who has taken command of his development; instead, Daniels looks like a bystander in his own offense.

It’s hard not to compare him to two of the Hawks’ best players to date: Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. Young continues to be Atlanta’s offensive engine while Johnson’s versatile gamerebounding, shooting and defensive versatility made him the team’s most consistent player. Daniels, meanwhile, feels invisible, offering neither scoring nor relief in the game.

When your supposed third cornerstone is averaging seven points on 39% shooting, something is broken.

A disconnect between role and expectation

The The Hawks didn’t just extend Daniels because of his defense. They extended him because they believed in his growth trajectory, that the player he was in New Orleans was just the beginning. But the move to Atlanta exposed how fragile that growth could be.

For starters, Daniels wasn’t a natural fit next to Tree Young. His lack of outside shooting allows defenses to collapse on him, stifling the lanes Young uses to create. That forces head coach Quin Snyder to choose between playing Daniels on defense or benching him to increase spacing.

On paper, Daniels is a 6-foot-7 guard with the frame and instincts to defend all three positions on the perimeter. But when your backcourt mate is one of the smallest defenders in the league, that defensive impact only matters if you can stay on the floor, and right now, his ineffectiveness on the offensive end makes that a tough sell.

The Hawks thought they were getting a connector, someone who could facilitate the offense when Trey sitsas he will be forced to do now due to a knee injury, and to play with him when he is in the game. Instead, Daniels was a possession killer, stopping momentum with hesitation or missed reads.

Atlanta’s offense is down the middle in six games, and much of that inconsistency comes from a lack of reliable ball-handling secondary. Daniels had flashes, a few sharp assists here, a rebound there, but the moments were fleeting. His stat lines (seven points, five rebounds, 2 steals) look good on paper, but are hollow on impact.

Can Daniels make a comeback?

Calling Deason Daniels’ MIP award bogus is not to question his previous stature; it’s about acknowledging how far he’s fallen in such a short time. Players regress all the time, but it’s rare to see someone go from one of the fastest rising players in the league to one of the most invisible starters in a matter of months.

Maybe this is just an adjustment period. A new system. New teammates. New expectations. Daniels has never been a natural scorer, and asking him to become one overnight might be unfair. His defensive instincts and unselfish nature continue to be elite tools for a team built around a high-use star like Trae Young.

But it’s also fair to say that Atlanta didn’t give him $100 million to be Patrick Beverley with size. They expected a two-way guard who could evolve into a borderline All-Star. Instead, they get a defensive specialist who looks lost on offense.

If the Hawks are serious about competing in the East, Daniels needs to rediscover the version of himself that won him that MIP trophy, the one who played with confidence, pace and purpose. otherwise, Atlanta’s alleged “Big Three” will continue to operate feeling like a big two and a liability.

The season is young, and the narratives are changing quickly. But as it stands, the Dyson Daniels MVP award already feels like a relic, a reminder of the game’s fading potential.





2025-11-02 18:22:00

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