Ugly stat highlighting Aussie star Dyson Daniels’ NBA shooting slump following breakout season
Australian NBA star Dyson Daniels has had a rough season from an offensive standpoint, coming off what was his breakout year in the league.
The 22-year-old won the league’s most improved player award last season and finished as a defensive player of the year finalist, thanks to his emergence as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.
He has entrenched himself as a starter for the Atlanta Hawks, who have since reshaped their roster around him as one of the centrepieces.
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Daniels led the NBA in steals by a wide margin and made first team All-Defence for his efforts.
But the 2025-26 season hasn’t quite gone to plan just yet, with his struggles on offence holding him back.
Daniels is shooting just 11.3 per cent from three point range this season, a shocking number given he was at a career-high 34 per cent last season. Ideally, he would want to be improving on that and getting closer to 40 per cent, like Josh Giddey has.
Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks. Getty
His inability to hit shots makes him hard to hide on offence, given defenders will effectively ignore him unless he’s under the ring.
The Bendigo native’s struggles are so great, he has not hit a single three in a game since December 15 – which was 13 games ago. He has taken at least one three-point shot in every game bar two in that stretch.
He has made just two since the start of December.
Because of this slump, his points per game overall is down from 14.1 last season to 11.9. He’s still having some impact closer to the hoop, but his inability to hit threes will hold him back from going to the next level.
And it will certainly become a problem in the playoffs, with every flaw amplified and exposed by rivals paying close attention.
Daniels not being able to hit a three reliably would also be a headache for the Boomers come the World Cup next year, particularly alongside teammate Giddey who is somewhat hit-and-miss himself.
A starting NBA player simply should not be in a situation where their points per game average is higher than their three-point percentage, unless they are an old school 221cm centre.
Dyson Daniels in 2025. NBAE via Getty Images
Atlanta made the biggest NBA decision of the season so far in January, trading star guard and face of the franchise Trae Young to Washington, for a mediocre return.
They did this to free up cap space, and put the team in the hands of rising star Jalen Johnson.
The Hawks have been a strong defensive team in Young’s absence this season, in part because of Daniels.
But with the added faith being shown in him in the wake of that trade, he needs to find some form from three-point range.
Daniels signed a four-year $149m extension with Atlanta before the season, capitalising on his breakout season.
The Hawks currently sit ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 20-21 record, but are right in the mix alongside the likes of Miami, Cleveland, Orlando and Philadelphia for a playoff spot.
