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

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).

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.

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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).

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

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).

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