When Atlanta made the Dejounte Murray trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, they hoped one of the future draft picks would pay off. Nobody expected Dyson Daniels to turn into one of the best two-way players in the league and be in the running for a DPOY award. Yet, this season, Daniels is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Can he win the Defensive Player of the Year Award? Well, let’s wait and see.
Dyson Daniels Says He Studies Former DPOY Winner
Recently, Daniels was asked whether he studies some former players and winners to improve his play. And he instantly talked about how he studies Marcus Smart’s DPOY season. Smart is the last guard to win the award. Speaking about it, Dyson said,
“Yeah, I mean, I think, looking at the good defensive teams, how they have each other’s back. OKC flying around… I watch Marcus Smart’s defensive player of the year season. See how he was able to be in the passing lanes. I just study the game and watch every team.”
Daniels has found a good player to study. For several years, Smart was considered one of the best two-way guards in the league. He is far from that right now, but he is as good an example as any. If Daniels wants to become the next guard to win the award, Smart is the right player to study.
Can Dyson Daniels Win Defensive Player of the Year?
The latest odds give Daniels a decent chance to win the award. After the injury to Victor Wembanyama, the DPOY race seems wide open. According to the latest betting odds by Fox Sports, Daniels is tied for the third-best odds to win DPOY. Fun fact: Draymond Green is second on that list. Bettors give the highest chance to Evan Mobley, who has a -300 chance to win the award. Former winner, Jaren Jackson JR is tied with Daniels for DPOY odds, with Lu Dort rounding up the top five.
If Dyson wins the award, he will be just the eighth guard to win it. Centers and forwards usually dominate this award. Marcus Smart won it in the 2021-22 season. Before that, the last guard to win the award was Gary Payton in 1996. Here is a fun fact: While nowadays most people associate the DPOY with centers, a guard won it five times in the first six years. Sydney Moncrief won the first two DPOY awards, followed by Mark Eaton a center then three guards: Alvin Robertson, Michael Cooper, and Michael Jordan.
Daniels Is the Best Hustle Defender
While Daniels doesn’t lead the league in stats like rebounds per game or blocks per game, he is the best hustle player. He leads the league in deflections per game and total deflections. Daniels’ 382 deflections and counting is an all-time NBA record. The Hawks guard is second in loose balls recovered per game and total loose balls recovered. Josh Hart leads that category with a total of 69 loose balls recovered. Daniels has 64, meaning he has helped his team get 64 more possessions with his hustle.
Speaking of traditional stats, Daniels averages three steals per game, good for 10th best single-season average per game in league history. If he ups his season averages just a little bit, he can catch Alvin Robertson for 9th best, who averaged 3.04 steals per game.
Photo credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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