Dyson Daniels is getting it together. Not that he was having a poor year, but after a breakout season like last one, many expected him to continue his offensive dominance right out of the gate.
It took him a minute to get adjusted to Atlanta's new-look lineup. When Trae Young went down with a prolonged injury to his right MCL, Daniels was forced into a role in which he was tasked with much more offensive responsibility.
While listed as a shooting guard, he's spent the majority of his minutes this season as a point guard. He's been depended on for a majority of Atlanta's shot-creation, despite not shooting well himself.
A high-IQ player like Daniels will never be a negative on the court. Even when certain aspects of the game aren't going his way, he's always finding ways to showcase his impact and help his team secure a victory.
Whether it's generating quality looks for others, locking up the opposing team's best player, or dominating on the boards, Daniels' game has several valuable components that he can rely on at any given time.
What's stood out over Atlanta's last few games, however, has been his work on the glass. The 6'7 guard doesn't let the big bodies down low intimidate him from crashing the boards.
Daniels has recorded ten rebounds in each of his last two games. Each of the teams Atlanta's faced has been physical, vertically-gifted rosters. Daniels' rebound total exceeding double digits against either of these teams would be phenomenal work, and he did it against both.
The game that impressed fans the most was Sunday night's matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Having two paint machines in Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond should have made life difficult for Daniels down low. Instead, he crashed even harder, recording his second consecutive 10+ rebound game.
How is Dyson able to rebound the ball so well as a guard?
After the matchup, I got the chance to ask Dyson Daniels about him crashing the glass so effectively against a physically intimidating 76ers roster:
"Dyson, you had ten boards tonight. How were you able to crash the glass against a bigger, more physical team like Philadelphia with Andre Drummond, Joel Embiid, and the rest?"
Daniels responded with a breakdown of what he and the team have grown to prioritize:
"That's a big emphasis for us, you know, rebounding, crashing and getting hits. We've been dominated on that end of the floor, the rebounding stuff, basically the whole year."
Daniels noted that the previous matchup was a wake-up call for them, and that they needed to re-shape their identity in order to secure a win against a similar opponent.
He continued, "Coming off that game against Detroit, you know, we felt like we got pushed around a little bit. We wanted to come out and be the aggressors, be physical, get hits, rebound the ball."
"I think teams decide to really crash against us. We know that if we’re going to be a good defensive rebounding team, we’ve got to be physical, you know, hit some guys.”
Last night, I asked Dyson Daniels about how he, as a guard, was able to crash the glass so effectively against a big Philadelphia interior:
“We know that if we’re going to be a good defensive rebounding team, we’ve got to be physical, you know, hit some guys.” pic.twitter.com/EAvNOkGmf7
— Zach Langley (@langleyatl) December 15, 2025
This adaptable mentality that Daniels possesses has been what has allowed him to achieve so much in just a short amount of time. His role as a do-it-all guard forces opponents to stay loose defensively, allowing for Daniels to get whatever he wants, when he wants.