Dyson Daniels and the Atlanta Hawks made a big statement in their first full game since the Trae Young trade went official — and the Australian star has acknowledged it’s time for the franchise to move forward.
Bendigo native Daniels couldn’t have marked the occasion in more impressive fashion, storming to his first career triple-double as the Hawks routed the Nuggets 110-87 on Saturday AEDT — and it’s a sign of what’s to come for the Aussie in Atlanta.
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In 36 minutes, Daniels scored 17 points on 8-14 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds and notched 10 assists.
The 22-year-old had already flashed his improved playmaking capabilities with Young sidelined due to a quad contusion, but the nimble guard took his play to another level in Denver.
“It’s pretty special,” Daniels told the Hawks broadcast post-game of notching his first triple-double.
“Getting a triple-double’s not an easy thing … I’ve been close to getting that triple-double for a few games now, so I’m glad I got it done.”
Asked about the impact of the Young trade on the team, a mature-sounding Daniels wished the four-time All-Star well but said it was time to “focus on our guys we’ve got now”.
“I mean, we know what it is; Trae was the engine for this team for a long time. We wish him the best in Washington,” Daniels said.
“But now we’ve got to focus on our guys that we’ve got now in the locker room. We’ve got guys who can play; guys who can handle the ball and get downhill — CJ (McCollum) and Corey (Kispert) coming in, they’re very good players as well that are smart.”
Daniels, who still has plenty of improvement to make in terms of his outside shooting — going at 11.7 per cent this season from downtown — has taken considerable strides this season as a playmaking guard in addition to his elite defensive abilities.
The ‘Great Barrier Thief’ was the runaway NBA steals leader and playing at an All-NBA defensive level last season, but questions continued to be asked of his abilities on the offensive end despite penning a monster four-year, $100 million (A$153.5m) rookie contract extension.
But in the 2024-25 campaign, Daniels totalled 333 assists in 76 games; an average of 4.4 per game. In 38 games this season — half the time — the six-foot-seven guard has accumulated 230 assists; on track for 460 if he played at least the same number of games this season.
After his 10 assists on Saturday, Daniels is averaging 8.2 over his last five games. Expect more of those sorts of numbers as the Victorian continues to feel comfortable with more usage in the Young-less Atlanta offence.
Young was dealt to the Wizards on Thursday in exchange for 34-year-old shooting guard CJ McCollum and three-point deadeye Corey Kispert.
Daniels has a connection to McCollum, having played with the smooth-mover in New Orleans, where the Aussie was drafted to back in 2022.
“I’ve played with CJ, so I know he’s a big wine guy,” Daniels said with a smile.
“Last time I was with him, I was underage, so I couldn’t get a bottle of wine — so hopefully he brings me one this time … first day, hopefully there’s a bottle in my locker.
“It’ll be fun playing with him again — an experienced leader, vet.”
The pair will surely share a bottle of red if the move aids the 19-21 Hawks in their quest for a playoff berth, currently sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference.
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