hero-image

"Happy I'm not there" - Dyson Daniels delivers unfiltered take on "cursed" New Orleans Pelicans franchise 

Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels shared his thoughts on the New Orleans Pelicans, looking back at his first couple of years. Since moving to Atlanta, it seems that Daniels' situation is a lot better compared to when he was in New Orleans.

Daniels expressed how glad he was to be out of New Orleans. Daniels felt that playing for the Pelicans was like a "curse." Every year seemed like there was something bad happening to the team. The Hawks guard pointed out how he was consistently injured while suiting up for the Pelicans.

“That organization's cursed," Daniels said. "Every year there's something new. I’m happy I’m not there anymore…I had like four or five ankle injuries down there as well. There's something down in that water down there or something. They got hamstrings. They got knees. They got concussions and stuff as well. They get everything down there. I don’t know what it is. Playing hard I guess?”

Now playing for Atlanta, Daniels has been healthy so far. Out of the 26 games the Hawks have played in the 2024-25 season, Daniels has played in 23. With that in mind, what Dyson thought was a curse in New Orleans is now lifted.


Looking at Dyson Daniels' improvement since leaving New Orleans

NBA: Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks - Source: Imagn
NBA: Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks - Source: Imagn

Ever since Dyson Daniels was traded to the Atlanta Hawks earlier this summer, his role as a player shifted gears for the better. Daniels is playing more minutes now and is contributing significantly higher numbers compared to when he suited up for the Pelicans.

Looking at his first two seasons in the NBA, it wasn't a promising start at all. In his rookie season, Daniels averaged 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 59 regular season games. It was unfortunate that the rookie had to deal with a plethora of injury issues, which kept him from completing the regular season.

In his sophomore year, there was little to no improvement in his numbers. It's also worth noting that he was still injury-prone, playing 61 regular-season games. Daniels averaged 5.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.4 spg.

After playing 24 games so far in the 2024-25 season, Daniels is playing 33.8 minutes per game. That's 11 minutes more playing time compared to his sophomore year. Daniels is averaging 13.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.3 apg and 3.0 spg.

Given that Daniels is now taking more responsibility with his new team, his growth as a player will undoubtedly improve.

You may also like