He had just been won the award, capping off a breakout first season in Atlanta after being traded to the Hawks by the New Orleans Pelicans, but Daniels was already thinking about next season. <\/p>\n
\u201cI really believe I could win this award again,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got so much more left in me. Next year, it\u2019s all about taking that next step and setting new goals. I want to be an All Star in this league, and I want to be a championship player.\u201d<\/p>\n
They are lofty ambitions, but that is nothing new for Daniels, who told media last September when he first joined the Hawks that he had a \u201cbig goal\u201d of making First-Team All Defence.<\/p>\n
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Daniels did that and almost took out Defensive Player of the Year honours too, finishing second overall in voting, while more specifically he was named the NBA\u2019s top perimeter defender in an anonymous poll of NBA GMs.<\/p>\n
So, what does the next evolution of Daniels look like? <\/p>\n
Well, to unlock the true ceiling in his game Daniels has to show more growth on offence.<\/p>\n
As for what that looks like, the 22-year-old has spent the offseason working on his mid-range game and becoming a more consistent outside shooter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been working on becoming a more consistent and reliable shooter from the outside and then just being able to handle pick-and-roll, create for others,\u201d Daniels told foxsports.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to play fast this year, so it\u2019s going to be a lot of getting out in transition, becoming a better finisher at the rim, adding to my bag in the mid-range and being able to knock those shots down. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo, it\u2019s kind of more of the all-around game that I\u2019m focusing on. I think the biggest key for me is being that reliable outside shooter, especially with the team we\u2019ve got this year. There\u2019ll probably be a lot of open looks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dyson Daniels is looking to build on a big first year with the Hawks. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
That is because of all the fresh faces in Atlanta this season, with the Hawks bolstering their outside shooting by adding Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.<\/p>\n
Daniels said he had been doing \u201ca lot\u201d of work adjusting his shooting mechanics in the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust set point, trying to get the release point higher, get at the same spot every time no matter where I catch it and then the rhythm with the legs and the arms they have to be in sync,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf one is going before the others it throws off everything. So, that comes with just getting reps in now, before and after practice, coming back at night, getting shots up. It\u2019s just going to be reps in and having that feel. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a lot of attention to detail with where I want to catch the ball, where I want to get my set point, where I want my release point to be. Try to get more arc on the shot. Those are some things that I\u2019ve been working on.\u201d<\/p>\n
All of those improvements will only increase Daniels\u2019 chances of earning a big-money extension, with the Australian potentially heading into next summer a restricted free agent.<\/p>\n
The Hawks have until October 20 to come to an agreement with Daniels on an extension, with NBA insider Jake Fischer recently writing that he believes the Atlanta guard could \u201cquite easily command offer sheets at that $30 million-per-season level if we see at least three teams with the cap space to make such offers in the 2026 offseason\u201d.<\/p>\n
However, Fischer went on to report there is \u201csome distance\u201d between the two parties at the moment when it comes to early contract negotiations.<\/p>\n
Defence is Daniels\u2019 bread and butter. (AP Photo\/Nikki Boertman)Source: AP<\/p>\n
Of course, the defensive end is where Daniels\u2019 bread is buttered and after a historic season which saw the Bendigo bandit record the most steals (229) in a single season since 1995-96, the 22-year-old is also keeping a close eye on what he can and can\u2019t get away with this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NBA changes every year with how they call games and what you can get away with and what you can\u2019t. So I\u2019m going to have to figure it out early on in the year, what I can get away with and what they\u2019re going to be tight on,\u201d Daniels said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already noticed they\u2019re letting us be handsy, letting us push a lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Daniels, now better known as \u2018The Great Barrier Thief\u2019, has become a household name, brother Dash is also quickly growing in notoriety after signing with Melbourne United as an NBL Next Star.<\/p>\n
Dash, who is only 17 years old, impressed in his biggest test to date against the New Orleans Pelicans last week, with a highlights clip of his disruptive defence going viral on social media.<\/p>\n
It will be hard for him to escape the comparisons to brother Dyson and even the Hawks guard admitted that \u201ceveryone tells me every day that he plays exactly like me\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dash Daniels is a highly-rated prospect. (Photo by Daniel Pockett\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
But there is a key difference between the two.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same age, Dash is a lot further ahead (than me) on the offensive end,\u201d Dyson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor him it\u2019s just about becoming more versatile, being a more consistent shooter, making sure he can go both left and right, finish at the rim. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut he\u2019s young, he\u2019s still growing, he\u2019s still developing. I\u2019m excited to see where he takes his game. <\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be a role model with Dash, I don\u2019t want to be in his ear too much and telling him what he has to do. I want him to play free and be himself. But he\u2019s started off his career really well at Melbourne United.\u201d<\/p>\n