The moment made Dyson Daniels feel proud of how he morphed into one of the NBA’s best defenders, of how he forces turnovers and disrupts stars’ shooting nights. The moment also made Daniels want to accomplish more.

After finishing runner-up for last season’s Defensive Player of the Year award, Daniels hopes he can challenge San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama for the top nod.

“It was cool getting second, but I want to get first,” Daniels told EssentiallySports. “Wemby is probably going to be a tough one to beat. But I got to go for it.”

Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley won last season’s DPOY award for helping them to the Eastern Conference’s best record by averaging a sixth-best 1.59 blocks per game and ensuring an eighth-place finish in team defensive rating (111.8). Dyson finished in second after leading the NBA in steals (229) and total deflections (443). Wembanyama wasn’t eligible for an award because he played fewer than the league-minimum 65 games because of a season-ending blood clot.

Assuming he avoids a major injury, that could change this season. Wembanyama has led the NBA in most blocks per game (3.9). Meanwhile, the Hawks (6-5) enter Wednesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings (3-7) with Daniels leading the NBA once again in steals per game (2.4) and having the seventh-most consecutive games with at least a steal (63). Daniels has forced turnovers while mostly avoiding foul trouble (2.5 per game).

Hawks coach Quin Snyder argued the 6-foot-7, 199-pound Daniels has figured out how to defend aggressively without making risky decisions because he played Australian football in his native country.

“He’s always on balance,” Snyder said. “So even when he uses his hands, he never gets off balance. So he’s able to impact those plays whether it’s to poke the ball, tip the ball or steal the ball. It’s not really gambling because he’s able to stay in front of his guy if he doesn’t get it.”

With star point guard Trae Young missing the past six games with a sprained MCL in his right knee, Daniels has also assumed a larger scoring and playmaking role. In his fourth NBA season, the 22-year-old Daniels has averaged 9.5 points on 46.9% shooting along with a career-high 5.4 assists.

“I love what Dyson is doing,” Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis said. “I think Dyson hit the next level offensively. You can see that he’s getting to his stuff. He has some stuff to his game. Even without being a crazy threat from outside, he can still make shots. He still gets those drives and can create something. Hats off to him, for sure. He’s still so young. They still have so many levels to get to, but it’s really good to see him keep developing.”

No pressure, but the Hawks’ potential in the Eastern Conference could depend on how well Daniels continues his elevated offensive role. Young will stay sidelined for at least the rest of November.

“Dyson’s ability to drive the ball is something that is a weapon,” Snyder said. “The more that he does that and gets in the paint, I think he’s going to continue to become more and more efficient.”

Dyson spoke to EssentiallySports about his development, including playing without Young and his leadership, his outlook on DPOY, his recent extension, and being on a steals record list that includes Michael Jordan and Gary Payton.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.

How have you built off of last season and adjusted without Trae?

Daniels: “I think for me this year, I had a little bit of a slow start. I was just getting into things. But in the last five or so games, I’ve kind of turned that around with my mindset. I’m trying to be more aggressive, get downhill and get into the paint. With Trae going down, more guys need to step up and create because he runs our offense. I’m trying to fill that role, but I want to keep building. We still have a long season to go. So we want to keep stacking wins and keep improving.”

In what ways do you think you’ve grown as a playmaker?

Daniels: “I’m trying to be more poised, know when to attack and know when to get to my floater. We want to play for each other and have our eyes out. The biggest thing for me is to get my feet in the paint. If I get my feet in the paint, that’s when I can get kickouts or I can finish at the rim. I’m trying to play fast, but also composed at the same time.”

Once you get in the paint, how have you determined when to kickout or finish?

Daniels: “I like playing one-on-one. I think I’m good at getting downhill and getting to my spin move. If I can do that one-on-one, then the shot is going to be there. But if I spin and see two defenders, then someone else is open. So it’s about finding that option.

For me, they’re going to close out. So if that happens, I have to make the next read. It’s about breaking down the defense. So if I can commit two defenders to me, then I’ve done my job. Then I have to get off the ball. But if I’m playing one-on-one, that’s when I have the green light to get a bucket. It’s about making those reads. Each team’s defense is going to be different. So I’ll get a feel for it, get in the paint and then make reads.”

When you heard that Trae would be out for a while, how did you start preparing for all of this?

Daniels: “Trae is a great player. He runs our offense. He’s been one of the best offensive players in the league since he came in. So I’m not going to fill Trae’s role. I’m not going to do everything that he does. But I’ve been trying to step up. I’m going to have the ball in my hands a little more. So it’s about creating for others and getting us into our sets. We’re trying to play the same way we played with Trae as we do now without Trae. So our schemes are the same.

Coming in, we want to be better on the defensive end. We want to win games by getting stops and then getting out and running. We want to make it easy for us. So the mindset has changed a little bit with the aggressiveness. But that’s going to be there when Trae is out there as well.”

How has Trae’s spirit been since the injury?  

Daniels: “He’s been good. He’s been around the group. Obviously, it sucks with going down with the injury. But he’s doing everything he can to get back as soon as he can. We’ll be ready for him when he’s back. It’s just about trying to steady the ship and try to stack wins. He’s been around the group. He’s been very encouraging. It’s been good.”

How has he been encouraging so far?

Daniels: “He’s being a leader. He’s always coming up and talking to me and telling me what he sees. When he sees times that I can attack more or when he sees times that I can off the ball, he talks to me about that. He’s been that vocal leader. Since I’ve played with Trae, he had never been injured. But since he’s injured, he’s been more of that voice for me.”

What feedback has he given you?

Daniels: “With the reads, it’s about who to read in situations. There are times where you’re reading the big, but you also have to read the low man and read the ‘X’ guy. So he has seen three or four things ahead instead of one or two steps ahead. He’s pointing things out to me when I get turnovers and stuff like that. He’ll be like, ‘You tried to make this pass, but this is the one that was open.’ It’s those little things that he’s been helping me with doing.”

In the meantime, you’ve been able to play with KP for most games. What impact has he made on you and the group so far?

Daniels: “KP has been great. He’s got that leadership and he’s got a championship. So he’s been there before, and is a guy that can come in and really fit into his role perfectly. He’s been really good for us on the offensive end and with protecting the rim. He’s a guy that we can give the ball to if we got nothing going. And then he can get us a bucket. So he plays that leadership role well.”

Defensively, you’re among the top of the league in steals. What do you do to get so many of them without making bad decisions?

Daniels: “Yeah, that has gone down a little this year. But I’ve been really focused on being a really good team defender. I still want to go out there and make plays for us. But it’s about defending without fouling and knowing when I can gamble and when it’s not good to gamble. Sometimes, if you gamble, you give up a bucket and that doesn’t look good. It’s about knowing the scouting report. So it’s about being active with hands, knowing which passes players like to make, knowing which way they like to go, and what their counter moves are. So when they get into these things, I can predict what they’ll do and be a step ahead.”

Quin said it also has to do with you playing Australian football. How do you view that?

Daniels: “Yeah, I think so. I played a lot of Australian football in the city that I was growing up. I was active and reading the game. Growing up, playing that helped me with being in the right spot, being able to read the game and disrupt the passing lanes. It’s also about having quick hands. We have handball in Australia. So you have to be very quick and get it off before your attacker. So that helps with my hand speed.”

What position did you play and for how long?

Daniels: “I played a bit at midfield and a bit at forward. I played for about seven years until I was 15 years old.”

How did you decide to choose basketball instead?

Daniels: “I got a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport. That’s when I had to make the decision between football and basketball. I didn’t want to give up football. I loved it. But I knew basketball was my main strength.”

You’ve said, though, that you initially felt limited offensively and that’s why you tried to lean on defense as a calling card. How so?

Daniels: “When I first came to the U.S. and played for the G League Ignite, my offensive role was very limited. I struggled there. I wasn’t a good ball handler. I couldn’t shoot. I didn’t have many counters. So what kept me on the floor was my defense. I knew I had to bring that every night. I had to be good on that end in order to become a good offensive player. I was always working with those guys, with Jason Hart and Rod Strickland, when I was there. Those guys really helped me develop quickly. Coming into the NBA, I was very raw. But there was more potential that they saw in me. So I’ve just been about building every year and developing my game. I’ve become a more consistent shooter and ball handler. I’m continuing to become a better player.”

Quin also said you use your balance well. What has been the key to master that in real time?

Daniels: “Just a lot of weight room stuff that I’ve been working on. With my balance, I work on my footwork so that I can absorb bumps and not get knocked off balance. I think that is about spending a lot of time in the weight room, knowing different angles and knowing where I can get hit.”

With all that, you are tied for seventh all-time for most consecutive games with at least a steal. The others on the list are Chris Paul (108 steals), Alvin Robertson (105), Michael Jordan (77), Victor Oladipo (64), Mike Conley (64), Eddie Jordan (64), Gary Payton (63) and yourself (63). What does it mean to be included with those players on that list?

Daniels: “That’s a pretty big list. I’m still going, so hopefully I can build it out. Those are some pretty big names on that list. It’s a cool list to be on, for sure.”

How did those players influence your game defensively?

Daniels: “With Gary Payton, I watch a lot of his son, Gary Payton II, with the way he uses his hands and stuff like that. But I don’t really watch guys and take stuff from each other. I like to find ways to do things my own way. Obviously, those are great players that did it their way. So I kind of want to pave my own path.”

I understand you want to be your own guy. But both growing up and now, which players influenced you?

Daniels: “I watched a lot of Russell Westbrook because of his mentality and his force. He changes angles and he gets downhill. The defenders were Gary Payton II. I watched a lot of him. And I was around Mattise Thybulle earlier in my years and was able to take some stuff from him as well. Those are probably two of the main guys that I can think of that I watched. They’re very instinctive. They make plays and see the game before it happens. They read plays. Guys like that know the scout really well. They’re already ready to shoot the gap and are into baiting people into doing things. That’s one thing I’ve done, which is baiting people. It looks like a path is there. But it’s not. I’m using my eyes and setting up people into thinking they can get the ball away from me, and then I go up and get it.”

Which defensive assignment do you think you excelled the most?

Daniels: “I have no idea, to be honest. I had a lot of fun guarding guys like [Jalen] Brunson. Cade Cunningham and Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] had my number a little bit. But I’m not too sure.”

Your tracking data last season showed you held Dame [Damian Lillard] at 10-for-24, [Jayson] Tatum at 9-for-24, Donovan Mitchell at 5-for-17 and ANT (Anthony Edwards) at 3-for-10. What do you remember what you did well in those matchups?

Daniels: “If I can make guys uncomfortable and make the shots that they don’t want to, the big thing for me is defending without fouling. For a lot of the superstars, the way they get a lot of their points is at the free-throw line. If I’m fouling, then I’m getting out of the game. So I want to keep them in front and make them tough 2s. There are a few games that I was able to do a good job on some of the best players.”

How did you view your runner-up for DPOY: proud of the accomplishment or wondering why you didn’t win it?

Daniels: “It was cool getting second, but I want to get first. Wemby is probably going to be a tough one to beat. But I got to go for it.”

Assuming Wemby is mostly healthy this season, what do you think it will take to win?

Daniels: “It’s tough. A guy like that definitely has a pretty big advantage. I just have to continue to do what I do, and do it better. When you come up against a guy like Wemby, there is not much room for error that you’re going to get. So I’m not really sure how I’m going to beat him. But it’s going to be fun.”

What was your reaction when you heard your nickname, the ‘Great Barrier Thief ’?

Daniels: “I didn’t react much. I didn’t think it was going to stick. It’s cool. Larry [Nance Jr.] gave it to me and it stuck. I think he tweeted something about it, and then some people started catching on. A lot of people back home and a lot of people here know me for it. So it’s pretty cool.”

What was your reaction when the Hawks signed you to a four-year, $100 million extension?

Daniels: “It’s special, obviously. It shows that I’m wanted here. I want to be here. I want to compete with this team. I like being around these guys. So signing that extension was really special.”

How do you put all of this into perspective, considering where you started out with playing in Australia, then with G League Ignite and then trying to get your NBA career going?

Daniels: “It’s been a long journey. You live for these moments. I didn’t have the greatest start to my career in New Orleans. But I was able to pick it up here in Atlanta. I give credit to Quin and my teammates for the opportunity to be a good ball player. I’ve found a home here. So I’m enjoying it.”

Even with Trae’s injury, what do you think you and the group can do this season?

Daniels: “We don’t want to put a ceiling on ourselves or anything like that. We want to take it game-by-game and go out there and compete. The results will speak for however well we’re playing as a team and developing over the next couple of months. With Trae being out, that makes it a little tougher. But guys have played really well the last couple of games. So we have to continue to do that. “

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Essentially Sports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.