{"id":164437,"date":"2025-10-27T20:37:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T00:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=164437"},"modified":"2025-10-27T20:37:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T00:37:02","slug":"hawks-why-dyson-daniels-2025-26-season-is-off-to-rocky-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/27\/hawks-why-dyson-daniels-2025-26-season-is-off-to-rocky-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks: Why Dyson Daniels’ 2025-26 Season Is Off To Rocky Start"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the New Orleans Pelicans traded Dyson Daniels<\/a> to the Atlanta Hawks, he seized every advantage of his increased opportunity. Hawks head coach Quin Snyder gave him the nod as the starting shooting guard, and he responded to the promotion magnificently, passing with flying colors. The Australian guard took home Most Improved Player<\/a>, First Team All-Defense honors, and a runner-up finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting in his debut season with the franchise.<\/p>\n

So, surprisingly, his 2025-26 campaign is off to a rocky start. Three games into the season, Daniels is averaging just 6.0 points per game, and shooting 41.2% from the field on 5.7 attempts. Ironically, Atlanta’s upgrades in the offseason could play a part in Daniels’ opening week frustrations.<\/p>\n

Dyson Daniels Has Struggled To Start 2025-26 Season<\/h2>\n

Jalen Johnson’s Return, Kristaps Porzingis’ Arrival<\/h3>\n

Last season, the Hawks finished with a 40-42 record and were eliminated in the Play-In Tournament. Bearing that in mind, they’ve taken part in the play-in every season since its onset (2022). This summer though, they made moves to change that. To be specific, Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/a>, Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/a>, and Luke Kennard<\/a> joined the team, adding valuable championship and veteran leadership in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

The starting center upgrade and Jalen Johnson’s<\/a> return mean there are less shots to go around. Daniels still seems to be adjusting to his new responsibility in the offense.<\/p>\n

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Oct 24, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) goes to the basket in front of Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2024-25, Daniels posted career highs of 14.1 points, 4.4 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game. When Johnson went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in January, Daniels had<\/em> to take on a larger role. Indeed, his usage increased from 16.8% in the first three months to 18.6% in the final four months of the season. After the New Year, he never averaged fewer than 14.0 points per game in any month.<\/p>\n

Daniels handled and shot the ball more last season, while also playing backup point guard behind Trae Young<\/a>. This gave him more opportunities to playmake and drive downhill in the pick-and-roll. However, this season, Alexander-Walker, Kennard, and Johnson have had the ball in their hands most of the time when the Hawks’ All-Star star guard sits.<\/p>\n

Daniels Gets To His Spot, But Results Aren’t There<\/h3>\n

Daniels frequently leaned on his spin move-floater combination in the paint last season.<\/p>\n

\n

Asked Dyson about the spin move and how he knows when he\u2019s going to use it:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you get a bump, you\u2019re usually going to take a step back, and I use that momentum to spin and get to my [floater]\u201d https:\/\/t.co\/lxiVdHrbYK<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/5QqfPpQheF<\/a><\/p>\n

— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) March 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n