2022 Draft Watch: First Look at Dyson Daniels
July 7th, 2021
By Alan Lu
I decided to take the time to watch 6-5 Australian guard Dyson Daniels, who will be playing for the G-League Ignite next season. He is projected by ESPN to go in the first round in the 2022 draft, so I took the time to watch him play to assess his skills. I managed to watch him play in a July 3rd, U19 World Cup game that took place between Australia and Mali, with thanks to YouTube via FIBA – The Basketball Channel. Here are my thoughts on how he fared, as well as how his game may currently translate to the NBA.
(Photo: Cameron Laird/FIBA, via News Corp Australia)
Dyson Daniels is a very athletic combo guard that had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Mali. It was a very sloppy game in general that featured a lot of misses and turnovers, and while Daniels was inconsistent as a shot maker, as his shot selection was sometimes spotty, he generally excelled as a facilitator, rebounder, and defender in this game.
Daniels showed an adequate ability to knock down jumpers on offense. He showed that he can use off-ball motion to get open to score on catch-and-shoot jumpers in this match. He ran off of a ball screen quickly to make a deep three. He also was able to fade back to make a quick, spot-up three another time. He struggled more to score on mid-range jumpers, and he had a tendency to take quick, contested shots from that range that would lead to misses.
He showed an adequate ability to score off the dribble. Daniels was able to drive to his left off of a screen, and he used a nifty, stutter step, hesitation move to score on an acrobatic layup off the glass in traffic. He was able to score on a couple of hard drives in transition, and he has the body control and finishing ability to regularly score at the rim. Sometimes though, he would rush his shots, which would lead to some misses.
He also would look to score on hustle plays. Daniels was able to make a quick floater off of an offensive rebound. However, he missed completely after hoisting up a contested shot off of a backdoor cut. He also missed on an awkward, fadeaway mid-range jumper after grabbing an offensive rebound, as he took the shot very late in the shot clock that time.
Also, Daniels displayed adequate playmaking skills when he was on the court. He showed a knack for throwing long outlet passes to set up scores for his teammates on the break. He does a good job of pushing the ball up the floor, and he also can make drive and kick passes to find open shooters. On the downside, he can play too fast and out of control at times. When handling the ball on the break, he lost the ball when trying a crossover move once. He also would throw inaccurate, hasty passes that would get deflected. He also showed off some sloppy ball handling, as he had a ball poked away to nearly turn the ball over another time. Plus, he also did a very good job of chasing down balls to haul in rebounds for his team. Daniels was able to quickly get multiple boards on both ends of the floor, and he would sometimes push it quickly up the court afterwards.
He also played solid defense in this game. When actively guarding an opposing ball handler early on, Daniels managed to run in to swipe a ball away to get an early steal. He also jumped a pass to get another. Plus, he also hustled back on defense to block a shot in transition another time. Daniels will also jump on loose balls and deflect passes to help his team get steals and deflections. He would also contest threes using length to force misses. He also helped trap an opposing ball handler in the backcourt with a teammate to help force a passing turnover.
On the other hand, sometimes he can be a bit undisciplined defensively. On one play, he jumped up prematurely when defending in the post, and he was out of position and allowed a score at the rim. He also whiffed on a lazy reach-in attempt when defending the post and promptly got beat on a spin move to allow a score another time. On a separate play, he initially hustled back, but gave up on the play to allow a score in transition.
In general, Dyson Daniels is an agile, skilled combo guard that can do a little bit of everything on the court. He is a talented prospect that has a variety of skills, but he will need to improve his shot selection and play more under control in games. He is a first round prospect, and he could end up being a similar player to Denver Nuggets’ guard, Will Barton in the NBA.
Other Notes:
Mali’s 6-8 forward, Ladji Kalilou Dembele shot the ball very well in this game. He is an athletic, skilled forward that can shoot and score the basketball. He excelled at making open, spot-up threes off the catch. He also made a step back three in the corner. He also used quick ball fakes and jab step moves to make a quick three-point shot another time. Overall, he is a skilled sharpshooter that could be a prospect to watch, especially if he can keep playing well in the future.
Australia’s 6-6 swingman, Jaylin Galloway had a sterling showing, as he was able to help lift his team to a win over Mali. He excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor. He shot the ball very well, especially from downtown, and he showed a knack for making threes both off the catch and dribble. Galloway also ran the floor and caught a lob pass to score on a layup on the break. Plus, he also made a drive and kick pass to find an open shooter another time. He also defended well. Galloway would poke balls away to get steals, and he also hustled back and altered a shot in transition to force a miss. Overall, Jaylin Galloway is an agile, high-motor player that played well on both ends of the floor, and he could be a prospect to watch sometime down the road.
Australia’s 6-11 big man, Akoldah Gak also played well in his team’s win over Mali. He showed off versatile scoring skills, as he can make outside shots off the catch, and he also drove in to score on a floater. He also would score on hustle plays, as he can do so off of put backs and cuts. Gak also was able to make a drive and kick pass to find an open shooter, but he also had a ball poked away on a drive to commit a turnover another time. He rebounded and defended well in this game. Gak was able to jump passes to get steals, and he also ran in to poke a ball away to get another steal in this game.
Overall, Gak is an athletic, high-motor big man that can shoot, rebound, and defend. He showed a knack for making threes as well as scoring on hustle plays, and he also made solid hustle plays to help his team get rebounds and steals. He played very well in this game, and he could be a prospect to keep tabs on in the future.
Australia’s 6-2 point guard, Biwali Bayles also played well in his team’s win over Mali. He had a strong all-around game, as he showed off versatile scoring skills, and he also passed and defended well. He showed a knack for scoring on quick drives to the hoop, and he also made a deep three off of a kick out once. He also excelled at throwing passes off the dribble, and he has good court vision and playmaking skills that would enable him to rack up assists. Plus, he also defended well. He would intercept passes and poke balls away to get numerous steals and deflections for his team. Overall, Bayles is an agile, skilled playmaker that can shoot, pass, and defend, and he could be a player to keep tabs on sometime down the road.
Australia’s 6-5 point guard, Taran Armstrong played fairly well in his team’s win over Mali. He showed off strong playmaking skills, as he showed a knack for throwing sharp passes off the dribble and in transition to rack up assists. He has good court vision, and he he showed a knack for getting the ball to the open man. He also was able to get a couple of scores off the dribble, as he was able to score on a crafty floater form the mid-range, and he also made a quick three, but Armstrong would also sometimes take tough, contested shots that would miss wildly.
Armstrong also played adequate defense. He also would jump passes and poke balls away to get steals. Sometimes though, he would struggle to guard three-point shooters. He would sometimes give up too much space, and then overcompensate by closing out too aggressively. On one play, he was called for fouling an opponent on a three-point shot. Overall, Taran Armstrong is a tall, facilitator that will play aggressive defense. He will need to make more shots consistently and show that he can guard shooters out on the perimeter, but his playmaking skills and basketball IQ could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA sometime down the road.
Mali’s 6-9 forward, Mohamed Sidibe was able to make some plays for his team in their loss to Australia. He was able to go coast to coast after grabbing a defensive rebound to score on a speedy drive in transition. He also managed to score on a fadeaway, running hook shot in the post, as well as on a quick put back. However, Sidibe had a tendency to miss shots around the basket due to rushing. He also managed to throw a long outlet pass to set up a score for a teammate in transition. Plus, he also did a good job of rebounding the basketball.
He also played solid defense in this game. He would rotate to block shots off the dribble to get stops for his team. He also would intercept passes and poke balls away to get steals and deflections. On one play though, he was called for a reach-in foul when trying to get a steal another time. Overall, Mohamed Sidibe is an athletic, physical big man that showed off the ball handling skills to score on the break, and he also was active as a rebounder and defender. He will still need to be a more consistent shooter and scorer in games, but he could be an intriguing prospect to keep tabs on in the future.
BYU’s incoming 6-7 forward, Fousseyni Traore had a decent showing for Mali in his team’s loss to Australia. He showed off versatile scoring skills late in this game. He ran the floor and used an overhead ball fake to score in transition. Late in this match, he was able to make a quick, open spot-up three off the catch. He also passed the ball well. Traore was able to throw a long pass to a shooter in transition. He also brought the ball up quickly off of a defensive board and threw a shovel pass to an open shooter ahead on the break another time, as he showed off solid ball handling skills and court vision on the play. Plus, he also rebounded the ball very well, and he was also able to push the ball quickly up the floor once. Overall, Traore is an athletic, physical forward that showed off intriguing skills, and he could be a prospect to watch sometime down the road.
