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Hawks' Dyson Daniels Makes Swipe at NBA History With Record-Setting Steal

The Great Barrier Thief.
Blake Silverman|
Atlanta Hawks guard Daniels brings the ball up the court.
Atlanta Hawks guard Daniels brings the ball up the court. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is a top perimeter defender across the NBA. In just his third NBA season and first in Atlanta, he's averaging three steals per game. That's the most across the league by a landslide. No other player is averaging even two steals per game this season.

In the Hawks' 134-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday, Daniels had three more swipes. That made 194 steals on the season, a number no other player has reached in the past 15 years. The last player to cross that threshold was Chris Paul, who did so in the 2008-09 season with 216 steals. The year before, Paul had 217 steals.

Now, Daniels is in the same company with 13 regular-season games to spare.

As one of the NBA's premier defenders, Daniels consistently finds a way into passing lanes and pressures the ball to cause fits for the league's biggest stars.

Last week while also playing the Hornets, he slyly picked off a pass from Charlotte's Miles Bridges, looking like a defensive back on the basketball court.

The NBA's all-time steals record in a single season is likely untouchable, as Alvin Robertson had 301 swipes as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in the 1985-86 season. Daniels is on pace to smash through 200 steals this year, which puts him in elite company. He turned 22 years old on Monday, making the sky the limit for the NBA's best basketball-thief in over a decade.

Daniels was traded to Atlanta over the offseason in a deal that sent Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. Daniels spent two seasons in New Orleans after the Pelicans drafted him with the No. 8 pick in 2022.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.

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