Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels has been named the 2024-25 NBA Most Improved Player, the league announced Wednesday.
The 22-year-old Australian becomes the second player in Hawks franchise history to win the award, joining Alan Henderson, who earned the honor in the 1997-98 season.
Daniels’ breakout third year featured significant jumps across nearly every statistical category, including career highs of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a league-best 3.01 steals per game.
He shot a career-high 49.3% from the field and 34.0% from beyond the arc while appearing in 76 games for Atlanta, who finished 40-42 and claimed the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Daniels became just the fifth player in league history to average at least 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 steals in a single season, joining Michael Ray Richardson, Magic Johnson, Alvin Robertson, and Michael Jordan.
His improvements from last season were among the most dramatic in recent memory: +8.3 points, +2.0 rebounds, +1.7 assists, and +1.62 steals per game.
Only Richardson (1978-80) and Eric Murdock (1991-93) had previously posted increases of at least +8.0 PPG, +2.0 RPG, +1.5 APG, and +1.5 SPG from one season to the next while playing at least 50 games both years.
Daniels also led the league in total steals (229), the most in a season since Gary Payton in 1995-96, and averaged the highest steals per game since Robertson’s 3.21 in 1990-91.
He ranked first in both deflections per game (5.8) and total deflections (443), helping anchor Atlanta’s perimeter defense throughout the regular season.
Daniels finished second in voting for the 2024-25 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year and was named Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month twice, for October/November and March.
The award is voted on by a global panel of 100 media members, with Daniels receiving 44 first-place votes and a total of 332 points.
Ivica Zubac (186 points) and Cade Cunningham (122 points) rounded out the top three in voting.
Daniels’ rapid development was a key factor in Atlanta returning to the Play-In Tournament after finishing below .500, as the Hawks leaned on his defensive versatility and improved offensive production.
Daniels, a former No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by New Orleans, was acquired by Atlanta in a multi-team deal during the 2024 offseason.
