Trae Young declares $25 million teammate DPOY despite Draymond Green's increasing odds

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are surging at the right time, looking to fight their way out of the NBA Play-In Tournament as the playoff race heats up. Atlanta had won six of its last eight games entering Sunday's matchup versus the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Hawks carried their hot streak and took down Philadelphia 132-119. Defensive Player of the Year candidate Dyson Daniels became the youngest player in NBA history to record 200 or more steals in a season.

Trae Young reacted to his teammate's historic feat, crowning Daniels as the DPOY with 11 games remaining.

"DPOY. No more debate," Young tweeted.

Meanwhile, Draymond Green has increased his DPOY odds, overtaking Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley. Daniels is third (+1600) behind Green (-105) and Mobley (+100).

Daniels, who is on a four-year $25 million contract, struggled from the field in Sunday's matchup, scoring eight points on 4 of 12 shooting, but he bolstered his DPOY case immensely. The No. 8 pick of the 2022 draft recorded five steals, his 13th game of the season with five or more.

Trae Young leads Hawks past 76ers

Alongside Dyson Daniels' strong performance on the defensive end, Trae Young led Atlanta past Philadelphia with his efficient shooting, leading all scorers in the game. Zaccharie Risacher and Georges Niang also had solid performances in the win.

Young finished with 28 points on 7 of 12 shooting, connecting on four of his six 3-point attempts. He also dished out 12 assists to round out an excellent double-double effort.

Risacher finished as Atlanta's second-leading scorer with 22 points on 9 of 15 shooting, including 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, along with two assists and two rebounds. Niang scored 20 points off the bench with three rebounds, two assists and a steal, on 6 of 9 shooting and 5 of 8 3-pointers.

With the win, the Hawks are just 4.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons for sixth in the Eastern Conference.