Dyson Daniels, who led the NBA in steals while making dramatic improvements in scoring, rebounds and assists for the Atlanta Hawks, was voted the NBA’s Most Improved Player on Wednesday.
Daniels, 22, finished comfortably ahead of fellow finalists Ivica Zubac of the LA Clippers and Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons in the voting, earning 44 first-place votes and 332 total points. Zubac finished second with 23 first-place votes and 186 points, while Cunningham placed third with 15 first-place votes and 122 total points.
Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun and Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves rounded out the top five.
Daniels, who also was runner-up in the Defensive Player of the Year voting to Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley last week, 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.
Nicknamed “The Great Barrier Thief” — a nod to his roots in Australia and defensive prowess — Daniels led the NBA with 229 steals, the most in a season since Gary Payton had 231 in 1995-96, and his league-best 3.0 steals per game was the highest average in a season since Alvin Robertson’s 3.0 in 1990-91.
“You’ve got to separate yourself somehow, and I’ve done that on the defensive end of the floor,” Daniels said.
Before being traded to Atlanta, Daniels was best known for his defensive play. Injuries and other trades helped clear the way for the 6-foot-7 Daniels to flourish as a scoring complement to Trae Young while providing impressive all-around production.
Daniels averaged a career-high 14.1 points per game, boosting his scoring average by 8.3, while also averaging career highs in rebounds (5.9) and assists (4.4). His field goal percentage also went from 43.5% in his first two seasons in New Orleans to 49.3% this season.
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 Robertson.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder lobbied for Daniels to be recognized 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 instill something in someone is don’t be afraid to make a mistake.”
The Hawks received Daniels, forward-center Larry Nance Jr., center Cody Zeller, a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2027 first-rounder in the deal for Murray.
Daniels’ immediate impact and the draft picks made the deal a success for Atlanta. The trade wasn’t enough to save general manager Landry Fields, who was fired on April 21. The Hawks finished 40-42 and were 0-2 in the play-in tournament to miss the playoffs.
“I think we really showed growth this year, and obviously we didn’t get to where we wanted, nowhere close,” Daniels said. “But we can definitely make some noise next year and I’m looking forward to it.”
Daniels is the second Hawks player to win the Most Improved Player award, joining Alan Henderson in 1997-98.
The award 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.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
