Trae Young is the Atlanta Hawks’ version of Michael Jordan.
He’s smaller, less athletic, less efficient, and not nearly the defender that the six-time NBA champion is. However, he’s not just his team’s most deadly scorer, but the biggest part of their offense. Whether he’s putting the ball in the basket or leading a teammate to the trough, he’s the sun in their system.
As every diehard hoops fan knows, Jordan couldn’t accomplish what he did alone though. He needed Scottie Pippen, a sidekick who would go on to the Hall of Fame as well. Together, Jordan and Pippen terrorized their opponents at both ends, intermittently supported by likes of Dennis Rodman and Horace Grant.
Dyson Daniels Doing Scottie Pippen Impression For Hawks
Clint Capela is a glass cleaner, but the Hawks don’t have a Rodman, one of the NBA’s most unique players. Though he packs more of a scoring punch, Jalen Johnson might be their Grant. That being said, there’s no doubt that Dyson Daniels is their Pippen.
The eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Daniels is currently averaging career-highs of 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game after being set free by the New Orleans Pelicans.
He isn’t particularly explosive. He isn’t consistently shaking and baking his way to the rack. What he is doing is playing top-notch defense, making great reads, and providing as much offense as he can utilizing his length and IQ. These are traits he shares with Pippen, who averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.9 steals per game in his time with the Bulls.
Interestingly, Daniels and Pippen sport similar measurables as well. Daniels is officially listed at 6-foot-8 and 199 pounds, whereas Pippen was listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds. Pippen’s wingspan was much longer — 7-foot-3 to Daniels’s 6-foot-10.5 spread. However, both are lanky wings who know how to use their length well, particularly at the defensive end.
Here’s every steal Dyson Daniels has made this season in one video!
With 3.8 steals per game, he’s leading the league by a wide margin. (Paul George is second with 2.3.)
He also averages 7.5 deflections per game, making him the leader in that category as well.
— A Walking Highlight (@11AWH) November 16, 2024
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In fact, Daniels’s pterodactyl-like frame has been one of his biggest weapons. His anticipation and hand-eye coordination are also exceptional. Nonetheless, the Hawks’ opponents have a hard time maintaining possession around Daniels in large part because he has the physical tools necessary to create those defensive events.
The Bendigo Burglar
Atlanta ranks just 27th in opponent’s points per game (119.5) and 22nd in defensive efficiency (116.3). This is despite Young improving at that end and a frontcourt that features players like Johnson, De’Andre Hunter, and Zaccharie Risacher. To that point, Daniels may be playing outstanding defense but it hasn’t made Atlanta dominant at that end.
Still, as the Hawks continue to piece together their championship puzzle, the Bindigo-born burglar looks like he’ll play a major part. Having gone from mystery to menace as perhaps Young’s most important sidekick, he looks like he’ll be sticking around in Atlanta for a while.
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