Daniels was the 2024-25 steals leader and Most Improved Player. After two seasons struggling to find a role with the Pelicans, he was dealt to the Hawks, who sent back Dejounte Murray. Daniels' defensive potential was able to shine through next to Trae Young, with the former averaging a league-high 3.0 steals per game, not to mention a solid 0.7 blocks. He also made strides offensively, becoming a better shooter from the field and averaging 14.1 points and 1.1 threes on 49/34/59 shooting with 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 33.8 minutes. Despite the massive boost last season, 2025-26 has the potential to be a plateau year. Realistically, can Daniels improve on his steal numbers? This century, he owns the highest average for a season, while the highest average since the three-point line was introduced is 3.7, set by Alvin Robertson in 1986. Plus, the Hawks retooled in the offseason, adding Kristaps Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. A healthy year of Jalen Johnson and improvement from Zaccharie Risacher could also take offensive responsibility away from Daniels, who was never billed as a strong offensive prospect in the first place. In fantasy drafts, Daniels still deserves to be in consideration around picks 30-40, but there's probably a hard cap on his potential.
