Bendigo to the NBA: Dyson Daniels’ dogged defensive traits were in-built from a young age
The rise of Dyson Daniels has been nothing short of remarkable: from a diminutive teen, to the most feared Australian in NBA. We take you inside his stunning path to the very top.
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From Bendigo in regional Victoria to the NBA’s best nickname, ‘The Great Barrier Thief’, the rise of Dyson Daniels has been remarkable.
At just 21, Daniels is already widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world’s best basketball league.
And while no one envisaged he’d reach the top as a diminutive teen – the dogged defensive traits were ingrained from a young age.
Marty Clarke will never forget his front-row seat to Daniels putting on a defensive masterclass as a 14-year-old at the Under 16s Nationals in Perth in 2017.
Clarke, a former North Melbourne Giants NBL guard turned respected coach, was on a global scouting tour to Australia via Japan and Singapore.
He was living and working in America as an assistant coach for US College men’s side the Saint Mary’s Gaels – a proven factory for Aussie hoops talent.
From Patty Mills to Matthew Dellavedova and Daniel Kickert, the Gaels has become a home away from home for countless Australian ballers.
Clarke was determined to continue the program’s proud tradition by discovering another gem or two Down Under.
He only had 22 hours in Perth, but it was enough time to settle in for the 16s final between Victoria Country and a Tasmanian side featuring current Cairns NBL star Taran Armstrong.
As Clarke sat down to watch, a spectator tapped him on the shoulder and said: “That kid playing for Vic Country is the son of Ricky Daniels”.
Clarke was well aware of Ricky – a 6’6 American-born forward who moved to Australia to play for the Bendigo Braves and have his No.23 singlet retired in the rafters, so he felt compelled to reply: “It’s no chance that is Ricky’s kid - he is tiny.”
Fortunately for Dyson, his family hoops genetics passed on plenty of desirable qualities beyond just size.
And it only took Clarke a few possessions to realise that Daniels junior could play, especially on the defensive end.
Unlike his rivals who played with a sense of urgency, largely due to their inexperience, Dyson executed like he was completely in control.
“Dyson played really hard and he was into people defensively, but he moved differently to the other guys - he moved so smoothly,” Clarke recalls.
“He wasn’t moving fast, but he covered so much ground and he could read the play before it happened. Normally the 16s is chaos and kids running around everywhere, but Dyson had this unique calmness to him.
“His efficiency of movement was beyond his years.”
Seven years on, Daniels has leant on the same defensive approach to help him become the NBA’s steal leader with 3.0 a game.
He also leads the league in deflections (6.5) and became the first player since the legendary Michael Jordan in the 1989–90 season to record 15-plus points and five-plus steals in four consecutive NBA games.
Clarke regularly jokes with Daniels via message about the ease in which he plays on the defensive end.
He likens his crablike stance and Inspector Gadget reach when guarding to watching the NBA2K video game.
“It looks like he is on a game and controlling every moment himself,” he said.
“His upper body doesn’t change, but his legs go. That same movement pattern was there from a young age.”
AUSSIE RULES RESILIENCE
Daniels has always been blessed with a high basketball IQ, but Clarke believes his time playing Australian rules football as a junior also helped his hoops.
The physical and 360 nature of playing junior footy equipped Dyson with physical resilience, but also razor sharp awareness, vision and reaction.
Thankfully for basketball, Daniels quit football to focus solely on his hoops.
It’s a decision that paved the way for the rising Victorian talent to follow in his father’s footsteps and join his former team the Bendigo Braves.
Daniels was just 16, but he excelled in the NBL1 ranks against some rivals double his age.
Clarke had moved to a new role at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra and remembers recruiting Dyson for the program via his father Ricky.
Only problem, the guard’s parents were originally concerned about him moving to the nation’s capital at such a young age.
“His mum said, that will be tough for Dyson because he’ll have to get off my leg,” Clarke recalls.
“It was strange to hear because he seemed so calm, but his parents said he likes to be around home, he isn’t that confident, he is a little introvert and shy.”
Any doubts about self-esteem were swiftly countered when Daniels accepted the offer to join the Global Academy as the program’s youngest player.
And as Clarke reveals, Dyson even took on the role of being the team pest, regularly driving his older teammates mad with his constant barbs.
“Dyson has this wicked sense of humour about getting in and annoying people, which is what he does defensively as well,” he said.
“At the end of every practice there was someone chasing him around the hall for something he’d done or said.”
Two years at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra added fine polish to Daniels’ game and paved the way for him to join the G League Ignite development team in the US in mid-2021.
He excelled for the Ignite in 26 G League games before declaring for the 2022 NBA draft where he was later secured by New Orleans with the No.8 pick.
PARIS PAVED WAY FOR NBA SUCCESS
Brian Goorjian will never forget the criticism he copped for selecting Daniels for this year’s Paris Olympics.
The cat calls from the armchair experts came thick and fast, but Goorjian always had faith in the rookie after seeing him dominate training camp.
“A lot was said about putting Dyson in there for the Olympics, but two days into camp we said this guy is going to play 30 minutes a game because he was that good,” Goorjian said.
“He was up in people’s faces, he didn’t stop and he certainly put his hand up to be selected as the defensive guard piece alongside Josh Giddey.
“It was a big, big call to select Dyson because it had a decision on the rest of the roster, but he went to the Olympics he performed way beyond what was expected.
“He was close to our best player for a lot of that Olympic campaign and he was primed to have a good NBA season.”
Just like he did for the Boomers, Daniels has exceeded expectations after being traded from New Orleans to the Atlanta Hawks this season.
The boy from Bendigo has put the NBA on notice with his world-class defence and improved offence game.
Goorjian is loving Daniels’ development and regularly keeps in contact with the young guard via text.
“I just like to keep in touch with our Boomers guys and with Dyson it was to say congratulations and keep up the good work,” he said.
“The good thing is this is just the beginning for him.
“Everyone is excited about Dyson with his growth and I felt that way at the Olympics.
“He shot the ball better, he was fearless and I see the same thing with him now at Atlanta.
“He isn’t intimidated in any aspect of the game.”
RESULTS NO FLUKE
Daniels’ rapid rise to receive universal praise from his peers isn’t a coincidence, according to Boomers and Sydney Kings forward Xavier Cooks.
The results we see today is due to hours of hard work behind the scenes.
Cooks says this was on show during the Boomers camp prior to the 2023 World Cup when he was selected but only played 10 minutes in total off the bench.
Daniels was a “little bit raw” as he aimed to find his feet in a team loaded with NBA and international experience.
Flash forward one year to the Boomers’ camp prior to the Paris Olympics and Cooks witnessed a different player.
“The point guard position was always going to be a key and I wondered how Dyson would go,” Cooks said about Daniels, who has won an Eastern Conference defensive player of the month award and is in the conversation for the defensive player of the year.
“But seeing him come into Boomers camp this year was unbelievable.
“His skillset and he was a really developed player.
“I think Dyson is one of Australia’s best players in terms of one-on-one skillset with his agility and instinct.
“The things I had really worried about, including if he was a true point guard, went out the window.
“He was running his team, he was passing the shit out of the ball and he even knew the times when to slow the game down and play fast.
“Also situations late on the clock shot and you have to make a play out of nothing.”
Yet ANOTHER Dyson Daniels block 🛑
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) December 12, 2024
Watch the #EmiratesNBACup quarterfinals LIVE on ESPN! 📺 pic.twitter.com/8y2JOGRNop
As a player who also prides himself on defence, Cooks has enjoyed every minute of Daniels’ defensive masterclass this NBA season.
He believes Dyson’s block on New York star Jalen Brunson during the recent NBA Cup quarter-final personified why he is a world-class defender.
“That play on Brunson was special,” he said.
“Dyson jumped up to defend the three, landed and then jumped up straight again and blocked him.
“There are not many people in the world who can jump that high before landing and then jumping up again to block a shot.
“That is pretty impressive and it’s why Dyson is so good.”
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