It’s a good thing Dyson Daniels is playing in Summer League

The NBA Summer League can be many things. It can be a place where lottery picks get their first real glimpse at the big leagues. It can be a place where late draft picks/undrafted players make a name for themselves. And when you do it right, it can be a massive confidence boost for players who have already played in the NBA.

Normally, players heading into their sophomore season in the NBA do participate in the Summer League to some extent. However, there are some guys who prove early on that they are “too good for Summer League” and get to rest after only a couple of appearances.

For instance, after strong showings in his first two games, the Oklahoma City Thunder have ruled Jalen Williams out for the remainder of Summer League.

When you send your former lottery pick heading into their sophomore year to Summer League, the hope is that they are able to differentiate themselves against weaker competition (NBA Summer League teams are obviously not as good as NBA regular season teams).

That was the hope for the New Orleans Pelicans when they sent Dyson Daniels to Summer League, and so far, he hasn’t disappointed. Through two games, Daniels is averaging 17.5 PPG, 10 RPG, and 5.5 APG. He’s also tied for third in the entire Summer League in steals per game (3.0). And on Sunday, he damn near dropped a triple-double against the Golden State Warriors.

He hasn’t been the most efficient player on the court. He’s only averaging a field goal/3-point/free throw split of 37.5/14.3/69.2, but it is nice to see him fill up the box score like this.

More importantly than anything, these last two games have likely served as a nice confidence boost for Daniels heading into the 2023-24 regular season. Toward the end of his rookie season, Daniels’ minutes began to dwindle. In those moments, it can be easy to lose faith in yourself. So, it is nice that he gets to prove that he is one of those guys who is “too good for Summer League.”