ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The NBA offseason may be over.
But it was an offseason that Dyson Daniels won’t be forgetting soon.
Atlanta’s dynamic defender opened a training facility in Australia, squeezed in some DJ sets for his teammates, and signed a four-year, 100-million-dollar extension to stay in Atlanta.
Not a bad summer.
“It was cool,” Daniels said. “Going back I got recognized a lot more than I did the first two years. I want to be able to do good for the kids and the places I grew up in.”
Last year’s NBA steals leader is known for his energy on the defensive end, but it’s the energy from Atlanta’s new faces now making the difference.
“There’s a great energy in this group,” Daniels said. “These guys can really shoot the ball. They get an open shot, it’s not missing the net. We’ve got to find these guys and we’ve got to get these guys open.”
And allowing the “Great Barrier Thief” to get even better at what makes him Atlanta’s 100 million dollar man.
“Defense has always been something I’ve been good at,” Daniels said. “When I came to America, I was really struggling with my offense and defense is what kept me on the floor. I was picking up, being disruptive on the floor. Coming from Australia you don’t get the type of athletes and speed that these American guys have so that was a shock to me at the start.”
Safe to say he’s figured it out.
But last year’s NBA Most Improved Player is now improving in a different sense in 2025.
“We don’t really have old vets on this team,” Daniels said. “We’re one of the youngest teams and I think that leadership spot is really vacant and something I want to jump into. I want to be that guy whose voice is heard all the time.”
And then, there’s the nicknames.
“Dys Spice is gone, that one can’t come back up,” Daniels said. “Great Barrier Thief is the one that stuck. Some of my teammates call me Thief and stuff like that.”
And now helping the hawks to steal a top seed in the east this year.
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