Great Barrier Thief: Dyson Daniels emerges as key to unlocking Atlanta’s NBA playoff hopes | NBA
TThe so-called “Thief of the Great Barrier” will be unleashed on one of basketball’s most legendary stages this weekend, as Australia’s Dyson Daniels embarks on an NBA playoff battle against Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Atlanta back has had, like his team, a mixed season. But both finished strong to make the Hawks a dark horse as the sixth seed in an Eastern Conference bracket considered wide open.
Daniels got a taste of the playoffs two years ago with New Orleans, but enters the 2026 playoffs as a key protagonist in one of the showpiece games of the first round.
“It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be a lot, the Garden is going to be vibrant,” he said. “But these kinds of opportunities are what you live for and dream about, and the only way to prepare for them, really, is just to trust your work, to trust yourself.”
The Hawks have been in good shape since trading All-Star guard Trae Young in January, led by forward Jalen Johnson and offseason acquisition Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Still, perhaps no player on the roster has the potential to turn a playoff series around like Daniels, after his prominence in the team’s 28-15 streak to close the season.
The exclamation point was a triple double – the second of his career – in a win over the fearsome Cavaliers a week ago. “There was a point in the season where we were struggling a little bit, we were losing games, but we always believed in each other, we trusted the coaches,” Daniels said.
“We played the same way all year, just once we started to gel and the chemistry started to come together, it really started to click, and the guys understood their roles better and were able to flip the script and get wins.”
The Australian was awarded the NBA’s Most Improved Player award last season thanks to his capable offense and relentless defense, but his contribution has since evolved.
Daniels is still the primary defender at the opposing point attack most nights, but the addition of the lanky Alexander-Walker has tempered his defensive workload. Although he is still second in the league in interceptions, his rate has dropped from three per game to an average of two.
Daniels’ three-point shooting accuracy has also declined, from a moderate 34 percent last year to 19 percent this year. Two months ago, he had more aerial balls than balls from outside the arc.
These raw figures, however, belie its constant overall development. He’s become a lethal transition player, thanks to his speed, rebounding and interior finishing, and his intelligence in the half-court gives the Hawks a flow they otherwise lack. His two-point shooting percentage is 58% – higher than elite shooters like Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard – thanks to a high number of finishes at the rim.
Daniels may not have the finesse shooter talent in the league, but he has found a way to contribute on offense to complement his defensive strengths. Measuring the Australian’s contribution by his impact on the scoreboard when he’s on the floor versus when he’s not on the court, he is – alongside veteran guard CJ McCollum – the Hawks’ most important player, according to advanced stats site Cleaning the Glass.
The New York Post recognized Daniels’ influence this week when discussing the challenge he will pose to Knicks floor general and leading scorer Brunson, describing him as a “defensive stopper.” No player has guarded Brunson as much over the past two seasons as Daniels.
“He’s a great defender,” Brunson said. “He’s very smart and he’s able to use his wingspan and create havoc with and off the ball. He does a lot of big things for their team and puts them in position to succeed.”
Daniels’ Boomers teammate on the Hawks, center Jock Landale, is expected to miss the first-round series with an ankle injury. Josh Giddey’s Chicago Bulls missed the playoffs, and Josh Green is only playing small minutes for the suddenly hot Chicago Hornets, a similar situation for Matisse Thybulle in Portland. Other Australians are on playoff teams, like Joe Ingles in Minnesota and Tyrese Proctor in Cleveland, but appear to be outside of the playoff rotation.
That leaves the Bendigo-born guard as Australia’s main attraction in the playoffs. Daniels’ father Ricky, his brother Dash – who played in the NBL last season – and his extended family will be there in New York, alongside a strong contingent of expats in the Big Apple. “I hope I don’t get too many ticket requests in New York,” Daniels joked. “But yeah, it’s a fun time of year.”
