Dyson Daniels will likely be the highest picked player out of the G-League this season and it’s easy to see why. At the NBA Draft Combine, he was listed at 6 feet and 7.5 inches while coming in at 195 pounds with less than five percent body fat. These are encouraging measurements that should have him locked in as a top-10 pick and someone for Spurs fans to look at ahead of the draft.
The do-it-all point-forward has some versatility on defense and should be able to guard at least three positions. More importantly, he could be a rotation-ready piece for the Spurs this season. He may require a little bit of time in Austin to get his big league legs under him, but should be seeing regular rotation minutes by the end of the season. Here are his stats from the G-League Ignite Tour, which was 15 games.
- 11.9 PPG, 2.1 SPG, 5.1 APG, 3.0 TOPG, 7.4 RPG
- 45.9 FG%, 34.7 3P%, 38.5 FT%
While Dyson’s free throw shooting numbers are not encouraging, that is on relatively low volume. That also indicates he has some work to do in getting to the rim and attracting fouls at a solid rate. However, he cleans up the glass really well at his position and he’s making plays for his teammates because he has such a nice handle and feel for the game. He does get flashy at times and that’s why he ended up with so many turnovers on the tour.
He’s mentioned that he wants to be an elite defender and knows he will have to guard multiple positions. In order to truly be elite, he will likely need to put on weight, but he already has the speed and length that many other elite defenders possess. He locked down everybody he faced in the G-League and it’s the offense that will decide how far he goes in the NBA.
He has an inconsistent jump shot right now and has trouble finishing at the rim. He had a great showing at the combine, which might alleviate some of those concerns. However, we’ll have to see if it’s really come full circle when he gets in to an NBA game and is playing at full speed. That reaction and adjustment will tell people how quickly he can rise up the ranks in this league.
