Draymond Green's former teammate backs Dyson Daniels' DPOY honor, challenges NBA MIP logic in favor of Tyler Herro

Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels has a chance to win the Defensive Player of the Year this season. However, there are a few players who also have a case to win it, like Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.

Green's former teammate, Kyle Anderson, has Daniels' vote to win the DPOY and mentioned other players who deserve to win NBA awards.

With the defensive display that Daniels has displayed, he's emerged as a favorite to win the defensive award. The Australian guard is averaging 14.3 points (career-best), 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a league-best 3.0 steals per game.

While Anderson has played with Green for a short period, he still believes the Atlanta guard should win the award.

"Dyson Daniels? Give him Defensive Player," Anderson said.

In addition to his campaign for Dyson Daniels to win the award, Anderson questioned the logic of the Most Improved Player award. His Miami Heat teammate, Tyler Herro, is among the long list of players who have performed consistently better this season.

However, other players could hinder him from winning the award. One of the top choices is Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, who earned his first All-Star nod this season, like Herro.

But Anderson didn't like the logic of Cunningham winning the award because many expected him to be a star early on. To him, the Pistons guard, who was a top pick when he entered the NBA, shouldn't be considered for the award.

"Cade Cunningham? Stop giving it to No. 1 and No. 2 picks. They're doing what they're supposed to be doing," the Heat forward said.

Herro is averaging 23.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 5.5 apg. He's averaging at least 20 points for the fourth straight season and has a real chance at winning MIP.

Dyson Daniels is also considered to win the MIP award

Aside from being a strong candidate to be the DPOY, Dyson Daniels, the Great Barrier Thief, is also a favorite to win the MIP award. His performance this year has been significantly better than the previous.

During the 2023-24 season, he didn't average close to double digits in scoring. The 6-foot-8 guard averaged 5.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 2.7 apg. Defensively, he wasn't as imposing as he is this year. He averaged 1.4 steals, which is less than half of what he's currently averaging.

Dyson Daniels has transformed himself into a solid two-way player. His scoring has been a significant factor for the Hawks, averaging 49.5% of his shots.

This season alone, the shooting guard has solidified himself as one of the league's best defenders.