The New Orleans Pelicans picked up a huge win against the Dallas Mavericks despite being severely shorthanded. Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones watched as CJ McCollum led a balanced effort to take the win. One key player who stepped up was rookie Dyson Daniels.

After getting just three minutes of action in the Pelicans' first three games, Daniels played 22 minutes against Luka Doncic and the Mavs. On top of checking Doncic by picking up a pair of steals against him, he scored 11 points on 4/5 shooting, three rebounds, three steals and two assists.

According to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, McCollum said that Daniels is a very hard worker that just comes in and does what he has to do. On top of being a well-rounded hooper, he's also very reserved.

“Very stoic,” McCollum said of the Pelicans rookie, via NOLA.com. “Straight face. Don’t really know what’s going on. Make a free throw, miss a free throw, he looks the same. Every now and then you hear the accent come out. But that’s it…I see the work he puts in, so I’m happy.”

The Pelicans selected Daniels eighth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft after he excelled with G League Ignite. The Australia native will have to prove himself as he looks for minutes on a deep Pelicans team. He certainly proved his worth against one of the best players in the game.

Daniels was one of eight Pelicans to score in double figures in the win over the Mavs, with Trey Murphy III's 22 points on 8/8 shooting leading the way along with McCollum's 14 points and 11 assists.