Dyson Daniels is a jumbo playmaker that came to the G League Ignite from the NBA Academy via Australia. In 26 games with the G League Ignite, he averaged 12 PPG, 7 RPG, 5 APG, 2 SPG, 0.9 BPG, and 2.6 TOPG on shooting splits of 46/30/60.5. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Dyson Daniels
Height/Weight: 6’8/200
Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: SG
Pre-Draft team: G League ignite
Tools: Feel for the game, passing, size
Pros:
- High defensive upside
- Quick feet defensively
- Strong defensive instincts
- Sharp passing IQ and can thread the needle
- Passes well from both a standstill and on the move
- Good acceleration off change of speeds
- Great frame
- Lethal on DHO drives with head of steam
- Creative handle on drives
- Good touch in the ‘in-between’ areas within the 3 point line
- Active hands on defense
Cons:
- Needs to be more consistent from 3
- Lacks blow-by speed in the half court
- Largely a below-the-rim finisher for his size
- Below-average finishing numbers for the year
- Needs to speed up jump shot
- Records too many transition turnovers due to bad passes
- Needs to get stronger
- Floater must become more consistent
- Doesn’t create many perimeter shots off the dribble
- Can get lost on defensive rotations
Summary:
Dyson Daniels is a unique combo guard with defensive prowess, playmaking, and overall incredible intelligence for the game.
Defensively, Daniels projects as a safely positive on-ball defender that can move his feet well with a great frame, and he has strong instincts to stay ahead of the ball-handler in seeing the next play before it happens. His instincts, frame, and active hands are what led to him forcing 2 turnovers per game in the G League this season. Off-ball, Daniels has been burned in the past by missing consecutive rotations, which could be a flag for his team defense ability in the NBA. While the G League does not place much of an emphasis on defense, making it hard to evaluate that end of the floor sometimes, Daniels is too advanced of a defender to be making simple off-ball defensive mistakes.
Offensively, Daniels makes his presence known with his passing and overall playmaking. While he did struggle with turnovers at times this season, it wasn’t because of an inability to pass or passing accuracy issues. The tempo and chemistry in the G League accelerate mistakes, especially for young players. In fact, many of Daniels’ turnovers often come from trying advanced passes in traffic, which are often turnovers that the best passers in the NBA make, which makes me willing to forgive those mistakes.
As a passer, Daniels has excellent accuracy to cutters, both on the move and from a standstill. He can throw bullet passes with accuracy, drive & kick, and run pick & rolls with ease. At his size, being a jumbo playmaker makes him a walking mismatch, even if his shooting is not yet developed. Daniels can be a big ball-handler that can run a variety of ball-handling roles offensively, while being trusted to consistently make good decisions as a playmaker, while also making his teammates better.
As a scorer, Daniels is a bit of a mixed bag. While he does have good touch that should develop into more efficient scoring at the NBA level, Daniels was still inefficient at the rim and on floaters (39% shooting per synergy), as shown in the shot chart at the bottom of this page. With his size and touch, with some athleticism, Daniels should be around an average finisher in the NBA.
Jump shooting remains Daniels’ deepest area of improvement, with mediocre free throw percentage and an alarmingly low 3 point percentage. His shot needs to be smoother, both at the base and in the release. He struggles to repeat his shot, both in base and in how he brings the ball into the release at the top. On his jumper, he exaggerates the hand motion going under the ball to get a clean follow-through, but will need to speed that process up to get his shot off over closeouts in the NBA.
Creating off the dribble is not yet a strength for Daniels, having strong change of direction and dribble moves towards the basket, but he needs to be more deceptive as a perimeter creator. He took a small amount of off the dribble jumpers this season, most of which were one dribble jumpers off of shot fakes. However, he was able to be creative as a slasher, using changes of speed and advanced dribble moves to get to the rim.
If Daniels’ jumper can develop in the NBA, his passing will be maximized offensively. Being a capable shooter, especially as a spot-up shooter, while also being a good passer and defender makes Daniels a starting caliber NBA player.
Similar to: Jarrett Culver, Malcolm Brogdon, Deni Avdija
Projected draft range: 10-35
Expected role: Connector piece as a defender and passer, with flashes of shooting and finishing.
Unplayable if: Jump shooting doesn’t progress & lack of half-court athleticism holds him back in being able to score.
Exceeds expectations if: Scoring evolves and develops in the NBA; all 3 levels of scoring need improvement, and turning those areas from weaknesses to strengths would make him a starter caliber player.
Videos:
Shot Chart:
