Louisiana is sometimes comically referred to as one massive swamp, and those thick, murky waters are precisely where the New Orleans Pelicans are stuck. To make matters worse, former player-now-Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels just dropped some more swamp-ish content on the Pelicans franchise. Needless to say, he’s not all wrong about his comments, either. Of course, the Pelicans might not take so kindly to them.
Cursed to Thriving: Hawks Guard Calls Out Former Franchise
Atlanta Hawks Guard Dyson Daniels Labels the Pelicans with Taboo Sports Word
Just this week, embattled and washed New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rogers referred to “a curse” that surrounds the Jets, a franchise that has managed to evade success for many years. It’s not often an athlete uses the curse word, as the term is widely considered taboo in the sports world. Well, Daniels is now the second athlete to use the term this week. Which is worse, calling your current team cursed or the team you used to play for? You decide.
Daniels was drafted by the Pelicans just three years ago. Now, with the Hawks in the ATL, he’s playing the best basketball of his young career. In fact, he looks like a completely different player from his Pelicans days. His play is one part of why the Hawks are surging of late. When it comes to his former team, though, Daniels, who went through his fair share of injuries with them, didn’t shy away from assessing the Pelicans and their current state.
“That organization’s cursed. Every year there’s something new. I’m happy I’m not there anymore,” said Daniels via NBA reporter Jake Fischer. “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?”
There’s that water again—that swamp water the Pelicans are trapped in. What a comment, though, by Daniels, and while he’s assessing the situation exactly right, it’s almost comical to listen to. Nevertheless, the story here isn’t so much that the Pelicans are injury-plagued. No, it’s all about Daniels.
From Cursed to Thriving
Everyone needs to start paying attention to the Hawks. Are they winning a championship? No—highly doubtful. This might even be Trae Young‘s final year with the team. Yet, the Hawks are one of the most entertaining teams to watch right now, and Daniels is right in the middle of it all. In his two seasons with New Orleans, he never managed more than 5.8 PPG, and his high in minutes was just 22 per game. Since coming over to Atlanta, almost everything has changed for Daniels, from his role on the team to his rebounds and assists.
In 24 games, Daniels’s stats read 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 3.0 steals—all career highs. His shooting numbers are closer to par with previous seasons (44.7% FG, 31.2% from three). His improvement, however, has come in his overall game, and the role Quin Snyder has gifted him has benefited Daniels remarkably. Snyder’s trust in Daniels shows in the 33 minutes per game, which is far and away the most in his short-lived career. Daniels has earned every single minute so far.
It truly is a breakout season for Daniels. It’s hard to imagine him having this type of season if he were still in New Orleans. But let’s not kid ourselves; he would likely be injured. Daniels has escaped the curse he claims the Pelicans suffer from. Now, he’s thriving in an atmosphere where his team is on the cusp of reaching the NBA Cup Finals. If I were Daniels, I, too, would be happy with how things turned out.
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