Trae Young labels $25,059,949 guard "DPOY" after shattering Hawks' franchise record

NBA: Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks - Source: Imagn — Trae Young labels Dyson Daniels "DPOY" after shattering Hawks' franchise record (Image Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)

Third-year guard Dyson Daniels became the Atlanta Hawks' single-season steals leader during Sunday's 145-124 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Afterward, his star teammate Trae Young campaigned for him to take home this year's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Daniels recorded 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals, shooting 66.7%. Meanwhile, Hawks rookie wing Zaccharie Risacher scored a career-high 36 points on 57.1% shooting as Atlanta took care of business against a struggling Milwaukee squad.

With his five steals, Daniels surpassed former Hawks star guard Mookie Blaylock (212) for the most steals in a campaign in franchise history (213).

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Moreover, per Atlanta's social media team, Daniels is on his way to breaking Blaylock's franchise record for steals per game in a season (2.7). "The Great Barrier Thief" is averaging 3.1 swipes a night across 69 outings, leading the NBA by a considerable margin.

Following Sunday's victory, Young shared Daniels' statistical feat on his Instagram stories, backing his teammate's DPOY case.

"DPOY! Congrats, Dyson Daniels," Young wrote, along with folded hands and fire emojis.

Trae Young labels Dyson Daniels "DPOY" after shattering Hawks' franchise record (Image Credit: @traeyoung on Instagram)

Daniels' milestone comes in his first season with the Hawks since being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans over the offseason. He is still on his four-year, $25,059,949 rookie-scale contract, making him arguably one of the league's best-value players.

Also Read: "Every night I learn something new" - Zaccharie Risacher on his steady ascent, blooming chemistry with Trae Young [EXCLUSIVE]

Dyson Daniels makes NBA history with 5-steal performance in Hawks' win against Bucks

With his five-steal outing versus Milwaukee, Dyson Daniels also made league-wide history. Per StatMuse, he tied 12-time All-Star Chris Paul for the most games with five-plus swipes in a season this century (14).

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Additionally, according to StatMamba, Daniels' 14 outings with five or more steals are more than the next three-highest players this season (13).

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Daniels' historic steals tally could boost his chances of taking home his first DPOY trophy. However, he remains third in most betting odds (+1400), trailing Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers stars Draymond Green (-115) and Evan Mobley (+100).

Daniels' next chance to build on his DPOY case comes Tuesday when Atlanta (36-38) hosts the Portland Trail Blazers (32-43).

Also Read: "I came into the league as a defender" - NBA Steals leader and record setter, Dyson Daniels on DPOY & MIP (EXCLUSIVE)

About the author

Tristan Rawcliffe is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda. Basketball has been Tristan's lifelong passion since age 11, and hailing from Brantford, Ontario, Tristan's loyalty lies with the Toronto Raptors.

He is a big fan of Nikola Jokic for his fundamental playstyle and Scottie Barnes for his versatility and potential. Tristan credits Nick Nurse for leading the Raptors to their first championship in 2019 and he holds Kawhi Leonard's iconic buzzer-beater in the playoffs as his favorite NBA moment.

Tristan is an all-around stats enthusiast and excels with statistical research skills to enrich his articles with compelling data and facts.

When he's not writing about basketball, Tristan enjoys spending time with family, playing sports and board games, swimming with his six-year-old son and traveling around Davao.

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Edited by Tristan Rawcliffe