Where Does The Trio of Lu Dort, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker Rank in the NBA?

The perimeter defense of the Atlanta Hawks hasn't been a very imposing unit for several seasons in a row. That might change next season.

After the Hawks added former Oklahoma City Thunder wing Luguentz Dort for essentially three seconds and Zaccharie Risacher, they'll be able to slot him in next to their defensively-inclined backcourt duo of Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

It seems reasonably likely that the Hawks are going to run a lot of lineups that have Daniels at PG, NAW at SG ,and Dort at SF. None of these players are obvious targets on defense, and that's something the Hawks have not been able to say in a very long time.

Last season, the Hawks gave a lot of minutes to Trae Young and CJ McCollum. Young is still one of the worst defenders in the NBA. McCollum was better due to his IQ and general effort on that end, but he doesn't have the quickness in his age-35 season to really make a difference on defense. It goes without saying that Dort is a much better defender than both of them.

It seems clear that the Hawks' perimeter defense has much more potential heading into 2026-27. However, where does it rank relative to the rest of the NBA?

How Good Can A Dyson - NAW - Dort Defensive Trio Be?

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Alexander-Walker, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luguentz Dort, Dor — Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year was a down season for Dort as a scorer, but the defense remained very solid. Per CraftedNBA, Dort ranked in the 100th percentile for matchup difficulty last season. OKC did have an excellent defensive system around him, but they usually trusted Dort with guarding the other team's best perimeter scorer/ball handler. Given that context, the results are fairly encouraging.

Per Databallr, Dort ranked in the 87th percentile for STOP% and excelled at drawing offensive fouls, ending up in the 99th percentile. Despite only being 6'4, he's very physical and strong. That gives him the tools he needs to fight over screens and consistently handle difficult on-ball assignments. He's taken on small point guards like Jamal Murray and seven-footers like Lauri Markkanen.

In the playoffs, he's even taken on the LeBron assignment and actually held his own. However, he's at his best when he's hounding shooting guards like Anthony Edwards, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan and Tyler Herro.

It goes without saying that Nickeil Alexander-Walker was a great two-way player for the Hawks, but his defense didn't get as much shine as his offensive leap did. Even so, NAW was in the 90th percentile for STOP%, averaged 1.3 steals per game (89th percentile), and forced 3.5 deflections a game (98th percentile). Like Dort, he's also excellent at drawing offensive fouls.

NAW's matchups weren't very difficult because of Dyson Daniels, but he did very well against rotation players like Quentin Grimes, starters like Keyonte George, and main options like Devin Booker and Kon Knueppel. He hasn't shown the borderline elite defensive upside that someone like Dort or Dyson has, but he's a very solid defender who can generate turnovers.

Of course, Dyson Daniels is one of the best perimeter defenders in all of basketball and that showed last season. While Dort doesn't produce the turnovers and NAW doesn't take on the high-level matchups with consistency, Daniels is a blend of the two.

He ranked in the 90th percentile for STOP%, averaged 2 steals per game (98th percentile) and put up a whopping 4.1 deflections per game (100th percentile). He also ranked 4th in matchup difficulty per CraftedNBA.

In my opinion, Daniels should still be viewed as the No. 1 option for guarding the best perimeter scorer on the other team. Dort slots in as the second-best perimeter defender, and NAW should be viewed as third-best. They'll also have solid rim protection behind them with Onyeka Okongwu and possibly Jalen Johnson if he's able to clean up his off-ball defense.

Which NBA Teams Have A Better Defensive Trio?

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Daniels, Dyson Daniel — Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the second quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

None of these players are really rim protectors, so it's only fair to examine them in the context of the best three perimeter defenders for every NBA team.

The OKC Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks are all a cut above the Hawks in terms of their perimeter defense. OKC still has Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace, who are two of the best perimeter defenders in the game. San Antonio has one of the best defensive players of all time in Victor Wembanyama, who can guard the perimeter and still contest shots at the rim due to his freakish recovery abilities.

Stephon Castle was also 2nd in matchup difficulty this season, and routinely guards star ball-handlers better than most. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are also an elite defensive duo on the perimeter who can bother ball-handling wings and guards with ease.

Even though all of those players are duos, they're all certifiably elite defenders who have shown it through multiple playoff series. Daniels certainly belongs in that conversation, but I would stop short of saying Dort is a truly elite perimeter defender because he doesn't always bring the same impact as an off-ball defender and he doesn't force a lot of turnovers. Furthermore, Daniels hasn't been proven in the playoffs like these other players have and that does factor into the discussion.

I'd also slot the Houston Rockets above the Hawks with their trio of Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Marcus Smart. All three of those players are amazing perimeter defenders who can take on matchups against anyone and generate turnovers.

Even though Thompson is the only elite-level defender, Eason and Smart are both excellent in their own right. NAW doesn't have the size to guard anything other than point guards/shooting guards, while Dort is going to be at a disadvantage against huge wings. He can still make it work at times, but Eason and Smart are better equipped to deal with those matchups.

However, the Hawks come in at 5th for me. Especially assuming that Dort's shooting goes back to its usual levels, he'll be able to actually stay on the court and continue to frustrate opponents on the perimeter. That gives the Hawks one elite defender, one very good defender, and one solid defender to throw at opposing ball-handlers. It's a much stronger unit than what they had last season, and for the first time, there are no obvious holes in Atlanta's point-of-attack defense.

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