Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and forward Zaccharie Risacher earned even more recognition for their strong year.
On Sunday’s broadcast of Inside the NBA on TNT, Daniels and Risacher were named finalists for season awards in three categories.
At the start of the show, Shaquille O’Neal named Daniels a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player.
Then Kenny Smith named Daniels among the finalists for Defensive Player of the Year.
The Hawks guard, who the team acquired last July, put up not only a career season but also a historic one. Daniels averaged more than twice as many points per game than the year before, notching 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
On top of that, his defense took the league by storm, as he was the first player in 15 years to record more than 200 steals in a single season.
He is just the fifth player to do so before turning 23 years old, joining Magic Johnson, Chris Paul, Isiah Thomas and Dudley Bradley. He also became just the third player since 2000 to tally 200-plus steals in a single season, joining Chris Paul (2008-09, 2007-08) and Allen Iverson (2002-03).
Daniels was on pace to be the first guard to lead the NBA in total stocks (steals plus blocks) since Michael Jordan in 1987-88. Jordan was named the Defensive Player of the Year that season.
Smith also announced Risacher among the finalists for Rookie of the Year.
The Hawks first-year forward won back-to-back Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards after becoming the only Eastern Conference rookie to score 36 points in a game. It’s the second-most among all rookies.
Risacher averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game on 35.5% shooting from 3 this season. He recorded multiple 30-plus-point games this year, tying Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Green and Brandon Miller for games with 30-plus points and five-or-more 3-pointers. All four are tied for the third-most such games with four.
Hawks guard Trae Young was among the players considered for the Clutch Player of the Year Award but was ultimately not named a finalist.
Here are the finalists for this season’s awards.
Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Kia NBA Rookie of the Year
- Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
- Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
- Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
- Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kia NBA Most Improved Player
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
- Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
- Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers
Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year
- Malik Beasley, Detroit Pistons
- Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Nikola Jokiċ, Denver Nuggets
NBA Coach of the Year
- Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
- J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons
- Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets
Other season awards include:
• Kia All-NBA Teams
• Kia All-Rookie Teams
• Kia All-Defensive Teams
• NBA Basketball Executive of the Year
• NBA Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year
• NBA Hustle Award• NBA Social Justice Champion
• NBA Sportsmanship Award
• J. Walker Kennedy Citizenship Award (Professional Basketball Writers Association)
The NBA will reveal the winners of the awards later in the postseason.
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