Dyson Daniels has often been praised as a player who can fill the stat sheet in a variety of ways, and the eighth pick did just that in a major way on Wednesday with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Dyson produced 14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and one steal in a 126-108 win at home over the Toronto Raptors. He finished by shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 1-of-2 from 3-point range in 31 minutes of work off of the bench.
The 19-year-old set career highs in points and assists with the performance and nearly recorded the first triple-double by a rookie this season. It was only his second time reaching double figures.
Pelicans coach Willie Green was impressed with the effort.
He was huge for us. It is funny watching him play. He is just getting better the more that he gets time. He is poised. He makes really good plays. Nine assists, eight rebounds and 14 points, close to a triple-double from a 19-year-old young man is impressive.
Said Trey Murphy III:
He was hoopin’. It felt like he was hoopin’ for sure, but he almost had a triple-double at 19 years old. Come on now. Who is really doing that? You haven’t heard of a lot of people doing that in recent years. He is a really special talent, and I’m very proud of Dyson and the progression he has had.
🙌 @DysonDaniels filled it up in the @PelicansNBA 126-108 win over the Raptors.
📊 14 PTS | 9 AST | 8 REB | 1 STL pic.twitter.com/vqIXquP5Ry
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) December 1, 2022
Daniels played sparingly to begin the season and was even a healthy scratch from the lineup as recently as the beginning of November. He eventually cracked the rotation and has seen a larger role over the last eight games off the bench.
He is averaging 6.6 points, five rebounds and three assists on 52.5% shooting from the field over that span. His numbers may not jump off the page, but Daniels has provided sound defense and has given the group a shot of energy in the second unit.
Daniels is getting increasingly more comfortable on the court.
I’m very confident and it is only building more and more with each game. The coaches are putting trust in me, as well. They are putting me out there, giving me the minutes and letting me run the team with the ball. I’m feeling comfortable and I want to keep building, making the right decision and playing hard. I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve been getting and I want to take it with both hands.
The Pelicans were ecstatic to add Daniels through the draft and believe he can be a player that can contribute. He is taking advantage of his newfound opportunity and will be a hard player to keep off the court based on his recent production.
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