threethehardway wrote:Anderson Hunt wrote:
Last year he averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebs, 4.5 assists with 49% shooting and 34% from three in his first year getting major rotational minutes, and he's 22 years old and plays great defense at over 6'7 with the ability to guard 1-4 and run an offense if needed.
With all due respect, only uninformed people think he gets minutes and earns his paycheck "just to steal the ball".
Dyson Daniels can't guard 1 through 4.
He can only guard 1-3, he's too weak to guard someone like Paolo. He can't guard a true 4. He can guard a fake 4 like Jimmy Butler. His main appeal on defense is his ability to attack primary ball handlers.
He's a negative on offense. He lacks scoring aggression and creation ability.
People that say that the Hawks got a steal with Dyson Daniels haven't watched him play night in and night out.
The man has to be spoonfed shots and can only run basic set plays. He's a step above the Tony Allens of the world. He's above Marcus Smart because Dyson Daniels isn't a dumb offensive player.
Anyway, paying Dyson Daniels 35 million in a capped league is how teams up end in the basement of the NBA. It's like how the Hawks extended John Collins because he was legitimately, the best finisher in the NBA, but he was a throwback 4 from the 2000s. He's 6'9 at best and can't dribble to save his life. He wasn't worth the money because he's useless if a team gets a non-shooting center.
Like KD said, anybody can bend their knees and play defense. You would be paying Dyson Daniels 35 million just because he steals the ball significantly better than any other NBA starter.
With the way the NBA is hyping Dyson Daniels, no different they did with Herb Jones, the Hawks showed restraint and the ability to appropriately value a player - because they are the type of the team to pay marginal NBA players out of fit instead of overwhelming talent.
I agree with what you're saying about guarding real PFs, but I also think you're splitting hairs. He's 22, 6'7.5, and very smart defensively. If somehow Daniels gets switched onto Banchero, you're not screaming "oh no!" He can hold his own even against real PFs, and he's only getting better and stronger, so it's safe to say he can guard 85% of the league's PFs right now and he will be able to guard a hair over 90% of league's PFs by the time his deal ends.
As far as your comparisons, Smart has only averaged 14 points once and it was after being in the league for 10 years. He's also never came close to shooting 50% from the field like Daniels and doesn't have his length either. Also, Tony Allen was 2.5 inches shorter and didn't shoot close to 35% from three until he was nearly 35 years old. If Allen had Daniels length and showed his shooting promise at 22 years old, he'd be an extremely valuable asset because, like Daniels is, he'd be extremely portable. He'd have the ability to play on any roster with any mix of talent.
Lastly, people like yourself screaming his horrible on offense are very short-sighted. In all my years of following ball, I've never seen a guy averaging 14 a game on good percentages called offensively inept. It's ridiculous.
Again, if I'm a team like the Lakers, I'd pay him 35 million a year because he's an elite versatile defender and their star is the opposite. He'd be worth the money for a team like them, and I believe he can eventually top out at nearly 17 a game and become a 38% three ball shooter.
