Role players on the rise and stars looking for form

Dyson Daniels was literally a side note when he came to the Atlanta Hawks from the New Orleans Pelicans in the Dejounte Murray deal in the offseason. Now read it again official announcement from ESPN by announcing Murray’s move, Daniel’s name appears as the final piece in a transfer built primarily around draft capital.

Daniels was selected by the Pelicans just two years earlier with the 8th overall pick in the 2022 draft, but was unable to establish himself in the Pelicans’ very guard-heavy rotation. The main reason for this was his lack of shooting beyond the three-point line; Daniels shot just over 30 percent in his first two seasons.

What pushed Daniels into the top 10 in the draft is now more visible than ever in Atlanta – his defense. At 2.01 meters tall and with a 2.10 meter wingspan, Daniels is an athletic defender with unbeatable instincts when it comes to taking the ball away from opponents. The Australian is currently the lone leader in the league with 3.1 steals per game, and in the past few weeks he has even recorded 23 steals over a period of five games.

Daniel’s strengths in defense are diverse. Regardless of whether he is on or off the ball, the 21-year-old knows how to make his presence felt. Even superstars like De’Aaron Fox are not spared.

Under Quin Snyder, Daniels now has the opportunity to work on his offensive restrictions in Atlanta. While the Australian had to worry about his minutes in New Orleans, he is the starter for Snyder and has almost tripled his shot attempts per game. The Hawks’ offense often gives Daniels the opportunity to decide between a three-point shot or a drive to the basket.

Since the three-pointer is still not falling (30% this season), Daniels continues to focus on shots around the basket, where he shows good ball feel and finesse.

Given that Daniels is only 21, the Hawks’ hope is that a larger offensive role will spark important developmental steps for the Australian. If he manages to develop a reliable throw, he will be a central building block for the Hawks’ future planning.

Dyson Daniels: The statistics per season

When Norman Powell was asked about Paul George’s departure from LA, the veteran had a simple answer. “Addition by subtraction,” Powell commented, alluding to the Clippers team having a bigger role for players like him this season – established role players.

After almost a month, it seems as if Powell has made this sentence his mantra. The 31-year-old winger is setting career highs in almost all offensive statistics (23.3 pts, 49 percent FG, 48.9 percent 3FG) and is the Clippers’ second scoring option after James Harden.

Before PG’s departure, Powell was certainly not an unknown quantity as a pitcher. In LA, he was previously deliberately used from the bench to fuel the second guard with his scoring. This season, his hot hand from outside is the main reason for his best performances. Powell takes almost 8 three-point shots per game, hitting almost half of them. In addition to catch-and-shoot throws, he has also expanded his game to include throws from the dribble, which open up new dimensions in his freedom of action on the field.

It is of course questionable whether Powell can maintain this pace for an entire season. As of now, he is one reason why the Clippers are 9-7 and are more entertaining than anyone would have thought before the season.

The NBA Cup game on Tuesday night was supposed to be a game for the history books. Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht excelled with 37 points (12/16 FG, 9/12 3FG, 21 points in the third quarter), which allowed him to enter the history books in several categories. Regardless of his personal success, Knecht seems to be everything the Lakers could have hoped for.

Knecht’s role was still unclear at the beginning of the season. This year’s first-round pick was used in parts by JJ Redick, but was only able to play for more than 25 minutes once in his first 10 games – this was the case five times in the last 5 games. “We really want him to just throw. And if he doesn’t, we’re mad at him,” Anthony Davis said of the sharpshooter.

Knecht has put up 22.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in the last 5 games in which he filled in for the injured Hachimura. His shooting percentages for the entire season are also astronomical (67.9 percent eFG%, 61.4 percent FG, 47.9 percent 3FG).

Knecht takes almost two-thirds of his throws from beyond the three-point line and 95 percent of his three-pointers are made by teammates. Especially for Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the rookie is the thrower they have been looking for since the departures of Caruso and KCP. But Knecht also has the potential to be more integrated into the game structure beyond the throw. Coach Redick certainly has an idea or two about how to use Knecht’s talents.

This time last year, the praise surrounding Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers was still high. Haliburton’s All-NBA season took a hit with a series of injuries early in the 2024 calendar year. Although the Pacers also advanced to the final four in the playoffs, Haliburton appeared physically limited, which took away the pace and athleticism from his game.

Fast forward to the current state of affairs surrounding Haliburton, and concerns remain similar to those at the beginning of the year. The development player has by far the worst throwing performance of his career, at all levels.

The only constant area is the finishes around the basket. The problem is that just 13 percent of his shots come from this area of ​​the field, more than almost any other guard. This is where the circle closes, which becomes clear again and again in the match report. Haliburton has had problems with his three-point shot for almost a year now. But he is less and less looking for the alternative, namely going to the basket. It is still unclear whether this actually has physical causes or is due to the fact that his throw is not respected.

It was already clear before the season that the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic needed Jamal Murray from the championship season in order to be able to play relevant basketball in May and June. So far, the Canadian’s form is still a long time coming. The “naked numbers” read unspectacularly again this season. Murray puts up 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists with below-average shooting percentages (41.1 percent FG, 33.3 percent 3FG).

Murray continues to live in the midrange (42 percent of his completions) and looks to expand his presence to the three-point line (37 percent of his completions). He doesn’t attack the basket much, which is difficult to reconcile with his different shooting rates.

His star partner Nikola Jokic is forced to take on an even larger offensive role and shoulder more responsibility. While this calculation seems to be working so far in the regular season, it is relatively clear that the Nuggets will have problems without Murray in top form.

The Phoenix Suns are a team with big ambitions and a lack of size. The team around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker has improved with new additions in the offseason, but the center position remains a question mark again this season. The lineups with Jusuf Nurkic at five have a -5.7 NetRating and are therefore in the bottom quarter of the league. The reason for this is, among other things, that Nurkic can do a lot on paper, but does little in reality.

The Bosnian has a hard time on the offensive board, the offense stagnates with him on the field and the defense is mediocre at best. As a center, Nurkic has an effective shooting rate of 46.2 percent, which puts him in the worst 10 percent in the league. Of his throws around the basket, just 54 percent fall and his “spacing” is null and void with a 29 percent three-point rate. The Suns should therefore think carefully about how they could package their 18.1 million annual salary in a transfer.