Dyson Daniels Changed His Jumper. Atlanta Might Be the Problem in the East Now.

A video hit Instagram this week and Hawks fans lost it. Dyson Daniels, the guy who shot worse from three-point range last season than anyone has any right to in the NBA, posted clips of his new jumper. Quicker release. Smoother motion. The ball coming off his hand like someone who actually expects it to go in.

This matters because Daniels is already arguably the second-most important player on Atlanta’s roster. He’s an elite defender, one of those guys who makes life miserable for opposing guards for 94 feet. His playmaking took a real step forward last year too. But the shooting? Historically bad. Like, one of the worst perimeter shooting seasons the league has ever seen bad.

Fans online noticed the change immediately. One wrote, Lfg dyson! Shoot that with confidence! It’s time to bury all the haters! Another joked, Dyson Curry incoming. The hype is real, and it’s not just from the usual optimists.

The ‘If He Gets a Jumper’ Club

Daniels is one of those players fans have been saying the same thing about for years. If he gets a jumper, watch out. Dylan Harper. Amen Thompson. A whole list of guys who do everything else at a high level but can’t consistently knock down threes. Daniels is already in that conversation. If he becomes even near-average from beyond the arc, he could turn into an All-Star level talent.

The Hawks quietly had a decent offseason. They extended CJ McCollum, traded for Aaron Wiggins, and drafted Kingston Flemings at number eight. Nothing flashy. No blockbuster that makes headlines. But they’re banking on internal improvement, and Daniels’ shooting is the biggest potential leap on the board.

What This Means for Atlanta’s Ceiling

The East got tougher this summer. Miami and Philadelphia made bigger moves. People are asking if Atlanta’s relatively quiet approach means they’ve been passed by. Onsi Saleh, the Hawks’ decision-maker, has been patient. He’s building from the ground up, not skipping steps. But a legit shooting threat from Daniels changes the math for this team in a way that no single free agent signing might have.

Daniels already guards the other team’s best player every night. If he can space the floor and make defenses pay for leaving him open, the Hawks suddenly have a two-way weapon that fits next to anyone. And in a conference where the margin between contender and play-in team is razor thin, that could be the difference.

The video is just a video. Summer workouts always look good. But the release is different. The confidence looks different. And for a Hawks team trying to take the next step without making a splash, a real jumper from Dyson Daniels might be exactly the push they need.