Dyson Daniels was always a prodigious talent, but heading to the United States to play in a league full of NBA talent as a teenager is a daunting task for anyone.
The Bendigo product joined an exclusive club of Australians by being selected high up in NBA Draft on Friday, picked at No.8 by the New Orleans Pelicans.
But it was a rocky road to the top, as his G League coach Jason Hart has revealed.
Daniels went to the US to get the real experience of playing against NBA-standard ballers and signed up for the Ignite, a team of young, promising players who give up their amateur status and opportunity to play college ball in a bid to be fast-tracked into the world’s biggest competition.
Daniels shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number eight overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans
But despite all of his effort and training, Daniels could not get going. He reached rock bottom in a loss against the Iowa Wolves where the guard could only muster up three points, two assists and a solitary rebound to go with his three turnovers.
Hart knew he was frustrated, but persisted with the Aussie talent knowing that his response would be the making of him.
‘I’m not going to take you out every time you make a mistake… the Ignite program is specifically for these young guys so we just had to get him through the hurdle of being confident in his ability,’ he said.
The turning point came against Salt Lake City when Daniels hit the match-winning three-pointer and roared his emotion at the crowd afterward.
‘He screams, he yells. That’s what I was trying to bring out of Dyson – that aggressiveness every single day, that in-your-face style play. That’s what you need to survive in NBA,’ Hart said.
‘If you don’t play with that chip on shoulder or that confidence, you won’t make it in the NBA. So I thought his whole body language after he made that shot was indicative of where he started, where he was going and where he’s ended up now.’
Daniels hit the match-winning triple against Salt Lake City twice in the 2021 G League season
Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon said while there was plenty of talent on offer in the lottery picks, Daniels was always their No.1 priority.
‘There were a couple of guys … that we liked went earlier, a couple of the guys that we liked went after, but Dyson was the guy,’ he said.
‘It was a little nervous in the room during [selection] seven, because we know Portland liked him as well. So there was a chance they could have taken him at seven.
‘When they took Shaedon [Sharpe] the room exploded.
‘He was our guy from the outset that I thought would fit very well and we think in time can be a great fit here alongside the players that we have.
‘Obviously he is very young but he is going to grow and he is going to be a great player in this league.’
Daniels made his international debut for the Australian Boomers when he was just 17 years old
Daniels himself has vowed to play ‘the Australian way’ in the NBA.
‘It’s all about toughness, bringing the heart and hustle, playing tough on defence, you know, being physical,’ he explained.
‘For me, it starts on the defensive end. So being able to take people out of what they want to do by being physical.
‘Then on the offensive end, creating for myself and my teammates.
‘On the offensive end I would say someone like [Indiana Pacers guard] Tyrese Haliburton or [Chicago Bulls guard] Lonzo Ball, I think they are good comparisons,’ he said.
‘They are good playmakers, good finishers.
‘Then on the defensive end I like to look at [Philadelphia guard] Mikal Bridges and [Chicago Bulls guard] Alex Caruso.’
Family means everything to Daniels and they were present at the Barclays Center in New York for the announcement
The Bendigo Basketball Association’s Ben McCauley played a key role in Daniels’ pathway to the top, having first coached him with the Braves under-12 program.
‘Dyson is a cracking kid that comes from a great family and he deserves everything that’s come his way,’ McCauley said.
‘He’s worked hard right from day one and there’s no doubt that the Pelicans can now add around 100,000 supporters from Bendigo to their fan-base.’
‘There’s definitely a trip on the cards to watch him in person.’
Daniels was a talented youth playing for the Bendigo Braves in the Victorian competition
Ben Harvey, the general manager of Bendigo Stadium, has also been there every step of the way, including playing alongside Daniels’ father Ricky with the Braves.
‘Honestly, it’s surreal,’ Harvey said.
‘I couldn’t be happier for Dyson and the Daniels family…to know a kid from Bendigo has used our pathway to get to the highest level of basketball is such an achievement.’
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