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The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australia's Dyson Daniels scoops major award for NBA's most improved player
Australian basketballer Dyson Daniels has declared he can still get better after winning the NBA's prestigious Most Improved Player award. The George Mikan Trophy is awarded for the player who shows the most progress between seasons. Daniels was selected eighth in the 2022 draft, but started only 25 games in two seasons for New Orleans before he was traded to Atlanta last year. He was in the Hawks' starting five for all 76 appearances this season. 'I came into the third year wanting to really put my foot down and go out there and show what I could do,' Daniels told the NBA on TNT broadcast. 'I think it was just a small step in the right direction this year, and I feel like I've got a lot more in me.' Playing alongside all-star teammate Trae Young, Daniels made the most of the opportunity with Atlanta. He averaged 14.1 points per game, an increase of 8.3 on the previous season, and three steals per contest, the highest figure in the league. The man given the nickname 'The Great Barrier Thief' recorded 229 takeaways in all, the most in a season in almost 30 years. He was also among three nominees for the league's defensive player of the year award, won by Cleveland's Evan Mobley. The 22-year-old said landing at Atlanta gave him a fresh start. 'It's just coming in with the right mindset, working hard in the offseason, having a good Olympic campaign, and going out there and being aggressive, being myself, and not caring about making mistakes,' he said. 'The main theme this year is I got trust in my coaches, trust in my teammates, and I was able to go out there and just be myself.' Daniels earned first place votes from 44 of the award's 100 voters, delivering him 332 total points based on a 5-3-1 voting system. Los Angeles Clippers' centre Ivica Zubac finished second with 186 points, and Detroit guard Cade Cunningham attracted 122. Daniels' Australian backcourt teammate, Chicago's Josh Giddey, finished 10th in voting. Dyson Daniels' dad Ricky crashed the end of his #KiaMIP interview 😆🎉 The executive who traded Daniels from New Orleans last year, David Griffin, said in a visit to Australia in March the deal was 'the right thing to do at the right time'. The trade included Daniels, two first-round draft picks and other players in exchange for guard Dejounte Murray. Murray ruptured his Achilles tendon in January and Griffin was fired as the Pelicans' executive vice president two weeks ago. Daniels helped the Hawks finish ninth in the NBA's Eastern Conference, but the team lost a painful play-in match against Miami in overtime. The Australian, who grew grew up in Bendigo – a hotbed of Australian basketball talent – has returned to stay with his family in Melbourne following the conclusion of the season. His older brother Kai plays VFL with Richmond, and his younger brother Dash is due to play in the NBL with Melbourne United later this year as part of the Next Star programme.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Atlanta's Aussie crowned NBA's most improved player
Dyson Daniels, who led the NBA in steals while making dramatic improvements in scoring, rebounds and assists for Atlanta, has been named the league's most improved player. Daniels beat out fellow finalists Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers and Cade Cunningham of Detroit. The 22-year-old Daniels emerged as a productive starter at shooting guard for the Hawks after arriving in Atlanta in the trade that sent high-scoring guard Dejounte Murray to New Orleans on July 6. Before the trade, Daniels was best known for his defensive play. Injuries and other trades helped clear the way for the 6-foot-7 Victorian to flourish as a scoring complement to Trae Young while providing impressive all-around production. Daniels now is entrenched as an important foundation player for the Hawks, joining Young, forward Jalen Johnson and 2024 No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Zaccharie Risacher, who was the runner-up in Tuesday's rookie of the year award won by San Antonio's Stephon Castle. Dyson Daniels is the 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Improved Player!14.1 PPG5.9 RPG4.4 APG 3.0 SPG (NBA leader)#KiaMIP | @Kia — NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2025 Daniels led the NBA with 229 steals, the most since Seattle's Gary Payton had 231 in the 1995-96 season. He finished as the runner-up to Cleveland's Evan Mobley in the voting for NBA defensive player of the year. Daniels' nickname — Great Barrier Thief — is a nod to his roots in Australia and defensive prowess. Thanks to his role as a starter beside Young in Atlanta's backcourt, Daniels improved his scoring from 5.8 points per game with New Orleans in 2023-24 to 14.1, his rebounds from 3.9 to 5.9, his steals from 1.4 to 3.0 and his assists from 2.7 to 4.4. Daniels became only the fifth player since 1973-74 to average at least 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals, joining Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Michael Ray Richardson and Alvin Robertson. Hawks coach Quin Snyder lobbied for Daniels to be recognised as the league's top defensive player but also took note of the young guard's overall gains. "I think his ability to be as effective as he is on the ball, you see that and feel that," Snyder said. "I think also his ability to drive the ball. So to me, those two things are his aggressiveness. And in order to be aggressive, you have to be fearless. So I think maybe the biggest thing that I wanted to try to communicate to Dyson to the extent we can instil something in someone is don't be afraid to make a mistake." The most improved player award, like several other NBA honours, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season.
