5
Nov
2026
Aussies in the NBA
Staggering numbers behind the Dyson Daniels effect
Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels steals the ball from Indiana Pacers’ Braden Smith during the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 3, 2026 (AEDT). Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images.
Atlanta forced 16.05 turnovers a game in Daniels' first two seasons, up from 13.68 before he came.
- Atlanta ranks second in forced turnovers since Daniels arrived, behind only Oklahoma City
- The Hawks were tied 17th across the three seasons before the 2024 trade
- Turnovers held steady in 2025-26 even as Daniels' steals fell from 229 to 149
Australian Boomers guard Dyson Daniels' historic ability to steal the basketball, rightfully, gets all the attention, but it doesn't even come close to how he's fundamentally changed the Atlanta Hawks.
The 23-year-old Victorian is leading the league in steals with 24 after eight games of the 2026-27 season and leads the league in deflections with 6.0 per 36 minutes ahead of Boston's Paul George (5.8) and Brooklyn's Keon Ellis (5.5). His 4.9 deflections a game in 29.1 minutes trail only George's 5.0.
RELATED: Tracking every Dyson Daniels Atlanta game in 2026-27
Daniels won the 2024-25 Most Improved Player Award and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in the same season he stole the ball 229 times.
But his impact runs so much deeper than the defensive takeaways.
Atlanta has forced 154 turnovers in eight games, the most in the league in total and 19.25 a game, second only to the Toronto Raptors (20.86 in seven games). Context matters: Turnovers are running high across the NBA in the opening fortnight, at 16.06 a game per team, and the Hawks added Lu Dort from Oklahoma City in a three-team trade in July, a player Daniels described as an "elite defender".
Since Daniels arrived from the New Orleans Pelicans in July 2024, the Atlanta Hawks have forced more turnovers than every NBA team except the Oklahoma City Thunder, up from 17th in the three seasons before he landed.
In the previous three seasons, Atlanta forced 3,366 opposition turnovers at 13.68 a game, tying them with the Houston Rockets for 17th. In Daniels' two full seasons, the Hawks forced 2,632 in 164 games, or 16.05 a game, behind only Oklahoma City (2,768) and a dozen clear of the Detroit Pistons (2,620).
Add the first eight games of this season and the tally since the trade is 2,786 in 172 games, 16.2 a game, still second to the Thunder's 2,872 in 171. That is 15 places higher, and an 18.4 per cent lift on the per-game rate of the three seasons before he arrived, or 17.3 per cent if you count only his two completed seasons.
Daniels' own numbers explain a large part of the first leap. He led the NBA with 229 steals at 3.0 a game in 2024-25, playing 76 games. Those 229 steals were 17 per cent of the 1,315 turnovers Atlanta forced that season, and the Hawks' team steals rose from 615 to 798.
Last season, Atlanta conceded 112.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor versus 116.7 with him off. He's had at least one steal in 126 of his last 136 games, dating back to the start of his 70-game streak on December 14, 2024. The 70-game streak ranks fourth all time in NBA history.
He's had 329 steals in those 136 games, averaging 2.4 per game.
"We got a lot of guys that can defend, so it's we want to go out there and make that a focal point," Daniels said.
"I would love to call ourselves the best trio in the backcourt defensive trio in the NBA but we got to show up first."
For now, the Thunder remain the only team ahead of Atlanta, and the Hawks' next chance to close the gap comes against the Washington Wizards at 11am (AEDT) on November 5 (AEDT).
