The Hawks’ best offseason acquisition is not their top draft pick

The Hawks have a 4-7 record and don’t look like a playoff-caliber team every night. But that doesn’t mean Atlanta can’t get it all together in the next 70 or so games and make a postseason push.

However, this season is more about building for the future. The offseason was dominated by the Dejounte Murray deal, as the franchise finally admitted that the pairing with Trae Young just wasn’t working. Atlanta had to take a step back to move forward.

In the end, the Hawks won the lottery and drafted a potential franchise mainstay in Zaccharie Risacher, but it’s not the club’s top pick, which was the best acquisition of the offseason. The Dejounte Murray trade brought in a couple of first-round picks and three players, including Dyson Daniels.

The former lottery pick didn’t really fit in New Orleans, but he was a defensive godsend in Atlanta, which was exactly what was needed with Trae Young in the backcourt.

This season, Daniels is averaging 12.8 points while shooting 45% from the field and 27.8% from distance, but his influence isn’t felt here. He currently leads the NBA in steals per game (3.3) and deflections per game (7.3). In every single game, Daniels appears on the defensive side of the field.

It’s not the sexy stat Trae Young brags about. He’ll likely never score 30 points and record 10 assists, but that’s not what the Hawks need alongside their star point guard. Dyson Daniels is a perfect fit for Young.

While Zaccharie Risacher has a much higher ceiling and will likely prove to be the better player over the course of his career, Dyson Daniels contributes to winning basketball in a way that the Hawks have desperately lacked over the past two seasons.

It’s not a Championship squad at the moment, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction and Daniels is clearly someone to build on.