Australian basketballer Dyson Daniels has declared he can still get better after winning the NBA’s prestigious Most Improved Player award. The George Mikan Trophy is awarded for the player who shows the most progress between seasons.
Daniels was selected eighth in the 2022 draft, but started only 25 games in two seasons for New Orleans before he was traded to Atlanta last year. He was in the Hawks’ starting five for all 76 appearances this season.
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“I came into the third year wanting to really put my foot down and go out there and show what I could do,” Daniels told the NBA on TNT broadcast. “I think it was just a small step in the right direction this year, and I feel like I’ve got a lot more in me.”
Playing alongside all-star teammate Trae Young, Daniels made the most of the opportunity with Atlanta. He averaged 14.1 points per game, an increase of 8.3 on the previous season, and three steals per contest, the highest figure in the league.
The man given the nickname “The Great Barrier Thief” recorded 229 takeaways in all, the most in a season in almost 30 years. He was also among three nominees for the league’s defensive player of the year award, won by Cleveland’s Evan Mobley.
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The 22-year-old said landing at Atlanta gave him a fresh start. “It’s just coming in with the right mindset, working hard in the offseason, having a good Olympic campaign, and going out there and being aggressive, being myself, and not caring about making mistakes,” he said.
“The main theme this year is I got trust in my coaches, trust in my teammates, and I was able to go out there and just be myself.”
Daniels earned first place votes from 44 of the award’s 100 voters, delivering him 332 total points based on a 5-3-1 voting system.
Los Angeles Clippers’ centre Ivica Zubac finished second with 186 points, and Detroit guard Cade Cunningham attracted 122. Daniels’ Australian backcourt teammate, Chicago’s Josh Giddey, finished 10th in voting.
The executive who traded Daniels from New Orleans last year, David Griffin, said in a visit to Australia in March the deal was “the right thing to do at the right time”.
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The trade included Daniels, two first-round draft picks and other players in exchange for guard Dejounte Murray. Murray ruptured his Achilles tendon in January and Griffin was fired as the Pelicans’ executive vice president two weeks ago.
Daniels helped the Hawks finish ninth in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, but the team lost a painful play-in match against Miami in overtime.
The Australian, who grew grew up in Bendigo – a hotbed of Australian basketball talent – has returned to stay with his family in Melbourne following the conclusion of the season.
His older brother Kai plays VFL with Richmond, and his younger brother Dash is due to play in the NBL with Melbourne United later this year as part of the Next Star programme.
