The Atlanta Hawks are on shaky ground for the rest of the season; they owe their unprotected 2025 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, and with budding star Jalen Johnson out for the season, concerns surrounding their outlook for the rest of the campaign are heightened, as they are in real danger of missing out on the playoffs and conceding a top pick to a nascent Spurs team that just acquired De'Aaron Fox.
But on Monday night, the Hawks made a huge statement, saying that they aren't just going away gently into that good night. Buoyed by Trae Young's heroics, they took a 132-130 win over the Detroit Pistons — with Young nailing an extremely difficult stepback midrange shot over Malik Beasley. But it wasn't just Young who took the Hawks to victory lane.
Dyson Daniels also did his part as Young's backcourt partner; the burgeoning all-NBA defender for the Hawks had himself another incredible game, tallying 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and three blocks — making him the youngest player to tally those numbers in a single game for the Hawks franchise, as per StatMuse on X (formerly Twitter).
The Hawks would be in such a worse position this season if it wasn't for Daniels' rise into one of the best defenders in the association. His ability to be such a disruptor, both on the perimeter and at the rim, makes him quite the perfect complement for Young in the backcourt.
Daniels is one of the most improved players in the league and he has taken advantage of the opportunity that's been given to him by the Hawks. The next step in his development would be to achieve more consistency on the offensive end of the court, but he's well on his way — after all, he's only 21 years of age.
Hawks face an uphill climb to make it to the playoffs

The Hawks, even after their win over the Pistons, have a 23-27 record. That, at the very least, puts them in contention for a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, although they remain in grave danger of missing out on the postseason — handing over a lottery pick to the Spurs in the process.
The good news is that they are still within striking distance of an outright playoff spot in the East due to how mediocre the conference is, although the road ahead of them in that regard remains an uphill one.