{"id":256633,"date":"2025-11-02T02:06:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T02:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/256633\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T02:06:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T02:06:15","slug":"daniels-role-to-expand-with-young-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/256633\/","title":{"rendered":"Daniels role to expand with Young injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Trae Young out, Dyson Daniels steps up as Atlanta\u2019s primary playmaker and defensive anchor<\/p>\n

Atlanta’s four-time NBA\u00a0All-Star Trae Young is out for more than a month with an MCL sprain, which means Australian Dyson Daniels<\/a> will play more minutes as the Hawks<\/a> primary ball handler and get more shots.<\/p>\n

Critics of the 22-year-old Daniels’ four-year USD\u00a0$100M contract extension<\/a> were starting to circle the 2024-25 Most Improved Player<\/a> after his scoring had dropped off through the first five games of the season. His defensive numbers hadn’t decreased.<\/p>\n

Daniels has the equal most amount of steals to start the season with 14, tied with Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins. He’s averaging 2.3 steals per game.<\/p>\n

But it’s no coincidence Daniels delivered a season-high 18 points against the Indiana Pacers yesterday in the Hawks’ 128-108 win<\/a> on the road, the first game without the 27-year-old Young.<\/p>\n

All-Star guard Young sprained his MCL\u00a0in the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets<\/a> last week. Nets forward Noah Clowney fell backwards into his leg. He had an MRI\u00a0last week and it revealed no major damage but he will be re-assessed in four weeks.<\/p>\n

It’s a blow for the 3-3 Hawks, who are second in the Southeast Division but it’s an opportunity for Daniels to become a secondary scorer behind new signing Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is. Porzi\u0146\u0123is, 30, has soaked up much of Daniels’ shot opportunities this season as the Hawks work through how to integrate the 2.18m stretch centre into their offense.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/Trae Young #11 and Australian Dyson Daniels #5 of the Atlanta Hawks during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at State Farm Arena on October 26, 2025 (AEDT)\u00a0in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Todd Kirkland\/Getty Images)Dyson Daniels vs Indiana Pacers\u200dMinutes: 38 \u2502 Points: 18 \u2502 Off. Rebounds: 2 \u2502 Def. Rebounds: 7 \u2502 Total Rebounds: 9 \u2502 Assists: 6 \u2502 Steals: 3 \u2502 Blocks: 0 \u2502 Turnovers: 1 \u2502 FG: 8-13 (61.5%) \u2502 3PT: 0-0 (0.0%) \u2502 FT: 2-2 (100%) \u2502 Personal Fouls: 2 \u2502 +\/-: +13Dyson Daniels 2025\u201326 Box ScoreGames: 6 \u2502 Minutes: 31.7 \u2502 FGM: 3.5 \u2502 FGA: 8.2 \u2502 FG%: 42.4 \u2502 3PM: 0.2 \u2502 3PA: 0.5 \u2502 3P%: 28.6 \u2502 FTM: 1.0 \u2502 FTA: 1.8 \u2502 FT%: 61.1 \u2502 Rebounds: 6.0 \u2502 Assists: 3.7 \u2502 Steals: 2.3 \u2502 Blocks: 0.5 \u2502 Turnovers: 1.7 \u2502 Fouls: 3.2 \u2502 Points: 8.2 \u2502 Efficiency: 13.8Atlanta Hawks Schedule: November 2025Mon, Nov 3 \u2013 @ Cleveland (10:00 AM)Wed, Nov 5 \u2013 vs Orlando (12:00 PM, NBC \/ Peacock)Sat, Nov 8 \u2013 vs Toronto (11:30 AM)Sun, Nov 9 \u2013 vs Los Angeles (12:00 PM, NBA TV)Tue, Nov 11 \u2013 @ LA Clippers (2:30 PM, NBA TV)Thu, Nov 13 \u2013 @ Sacramento (2:00 PM)Fri, Nov 14 \u2013 @ Utah (1:00 PM)Mon, Nov 17 \u2013 @ Phoenix (12:00 PM)Wed, Nov 19 \u2013 vs Detroit (12:00 PM, NBC \/ Peacock)Fri, Nov 21 \u2013 @ San Antonio (12:00 PM, NBA TV)Sun, Nov 23 \u2013 @ New Orleans (11:00 AM)Mon, Nov 24 \u2013 vs Charlotte (10:00 AM)Wed, Nov 26 \u2013 @ Washington (11:00 AM, MNMT)Sat, Nov 29 \u2013 vs Cleveland (11:30 AM)<\/p>\n

Daniels faces Australians Tyrese Proctor<\/a> and Luke Travers<\/a>‘ Cleveland Cavaliers twice in November.<\/p>\n

What the MCL does<\/p>\n

The MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) runs along the inner side of the knee, connecting the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone).
It prevents the knee from bending inward excessively and provides stability during cutting, pivoting, and side-to-side movements \u2014 all crucial for basketball players.<\/p>\n

Sprain Grades<\/p>\n

A sprain is classified by severity:<\/p>\n

Grade 1 (Mild): Ligament fibres are stretched but not torn. The knee feels stable, and recovery usually takes 1\u20133 weeks.Grade 2 (Moderate): Partial tear of the ligament. Mild swelling and tenderness, with some looseness. Recovery typically 3\u20136 weeks.Grade 3 (Severe): Complete tear of the ligament. Knee instability and significant pain\/swelling. Often 6\u20138+ weeks and may require bracing or surgery.\u201cNo major damage\u201d means<\/p>\n

In Trae Young\u2019s case, the MRI showed:<\/p>\n

No complete tear of the MCL (so not Grade 3)No ACL, meniscus, or cartilage involvementThe joint remains structurally sound, meaning rehab and rest should restore function without surgeryRecovery outlook<\/p>\n

For NBA players, a Grade 1\u20132 MCL sprain typically sidelines them 2\u20134 weeks, depending on pain tolerance, swelling, and stability.
He\u2019ll likely undergo:<\/p>\n

Rest and ice initiallyRehab and strengthening for quad, hamstring, and hip musclesProgressive on-court activity once the knee is stable and pain-free<\/p>\n

So \u201cMCL sprain with no major damage\u201d basically means a partial or mild injury that\u2019s expected to heal naturally with rest and physiotherapy \u2014 not surgery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Trae Young out, Dyson Daniels steps up as Atlanta\u2019s primary playmaker and defensive anchor Atlanta’s four-time NBA\u00a0All-Star…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-256633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}