It’s a do-or-die situation for Canada and Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics! With both teams holding on to a 1-0 score, the ongoing basketball matchup would determine who gains the advantage in the international tournament. By half-time, the odds seem to be favoring the Boomers, as Australia holds a 49-45 lead over their rivals. While the same has been achieved thanks to the leading effort of Josh Giddey, another player whose contributions cannot be put to the sidelines is 21-year-old point guard Dyson Daniels.

Daniels did not, by any means, have a smooth debut when he started out in the NBA. The credit for his challenging start goes to none other than Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, an opponent he will soon face again in the Olympics. However, Daniels is now excelling. Within the first half, he has managed to add 8 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist to his name. Daniels kept the flow going on the shooting side, putting up 4-6 field goals to bring his score up. Twisting and turning, he was seen circumventing the Canadian defense to get the ball through the hoop. With 24 seconds left in the first quarter, he used a clever spin move to break the 26-26 tie. Before long, social media was abuzz with what this young star had to offer his national team.

With this, let us take a look into who this shooting guard is.

Who is Dyson Daniels?

Early Life

Born in the city of Bendigo, Victoria, Daniels started following in his father’s footsteps right from the age of 7. By the time he turned 18, he had signed on with the NBA G League Ignite, skipping the process of developing a college career first. During his brief period in the G League, Daniels caught attention by averaging 12 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists over 26 games. This performance set him out as a player to watch after he declared for the 2022 NBA Draft. Sure enough, he was taken as the eighth overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Dyson Daniels NBA and National stats

During his two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Daniels averaged 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over 120 games. During the 2023-24 season, he ranked 3 among all NBA players in terms of steals per 36 minutes, with a rate of 2.3 thefts per 36 minutes. The only players who led him on the list were Matisse Thybulle and Dennis Smith Jr. Daniels was eventually traded to the Atlanta Hawks, along with three other players and two future first-round pick options.

Daniels’ first stint on the international stage was back in 2018 when he represented Australia at the FIBA Oceania Under-15 Championship. Still, in an early stage, he averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. However, during a game against New Zealand at the FIBA Asia Cup qualification, he scored an impressive 23 points and 4 assists.

Daniels has brought equal prowess to the Olympic stage. Despite losing to Canada, he put up an impressive offense and attempted to narrow Australia’s trailing gap in the final minutes. By the end of the matchup, he had scored 10 points through 4-9 field goals, 0-3 three-pointers, and 2-2 free throws.

Why was Dyson Daniels’s NBA debut scarred by Kevin Durant?

For a rookie coming into the NBA, the first season is always a special one. After all, it sets the benchmark and expectations on what level he can perform in the future. Unfortunately for Daniels, his first matchup against the Brooklyn Nets was not an easy one. After all, rookie or not, then Nets star player Kevin Durant was not going to allow Daniels to get over him that easily.

In an interview on ‘The Howie Games’ show, the 21-year-old touched base on the ‘traumatic’ experience. He recalled how, during the course of the matchup, Kevin Durant would come up to him and tell how he was going to keep scoring over him. “He’s going to hit a turnaround fader and he did it, he’s like, ‘hold this motherf**ker,’” said Daniels during the interview.

The tactic seemed to have worked well enough. In his 3:12 minutes on the court, Daniels was not able to put up even a single point. Along with 2 assists, all he could do was attempt a single field goal, which did not meet its mark. On the other hand, Kevin Durant dropped 32 points by going 11-21 with his field goals, 2-6 with his three-pointers, and 8-9 with his free throws.

Australia will soon go up against Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Time will tell whether Daniels will get his revenge on Durant. For now, Daniels continues to prove his worth, and his journey is one to watch.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.