Young Aussie Dyson Daniels has shown out in his first proper taste of NBA action, putting up 11 points off the bench to help lift New Orleans over Dallas.
The rookie guard played 22 minutes in today’s matchup against the Mavericks, receiving a much bigger role than the three minutes he played in his debut last week.
Daniels was thrown directly into the fire for the game, tasked with defending the near-unstoppable Luka Dončić for much of his time on court.
🇦🇺 @DysonDaniels shines for the @PelicansNBA in their win over the Mavs. #Pelicans
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) October 26, 2022
📊 11 PTS | 3 REB | 2 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK pic.twitter.com/5VvPdJNgm9
Despite going head-to-head with a superstar, the Pelicans guard held his own, his strong defence rewarded by the three steals he was able to collect.
Daniels rounded out his game with three rebounds and two assists, providing a bit of everything in a performance that is certain to earn the youngster more playing time.
Fellow Aussie Josh Green also saw the court during this game, putting up two points and two rebounds in 13 minutes of play for the Mavericks.
Green has struggled to have the impact he was after so far in his career, however with double-digit minutes in Dallas’ first five games, the 21-year-old is being given the opportunity to seize a bigger role.
A good mover without the ball and a strong defender, Green's future likely rests on his shooting, as he is not yet having the offensive impact he would want.
Jock Landale capped off today’s heavy Australian basketball presence, looking fantastic as his Phoenix Suns cruised by the Golden State Warriors.
Landale was dominant coming off the bench for the Suns, putting up 17 points and seven assists in just 22 minutes in what is the best performance of his NBA career so far.
Jock Landale may be the real reason the Suns didn’t want to pay Deandre Ayton
— Pick Swap Media (@PickSwapMedia) October 26, 2022
16 minutes
16 points
5 rebounds
6-11 FGA
2 blocks
+12
7:32 still to play 👀 pic.twitter.com/gpfLD0vBXB
Hall of famer Reggie Miller was incredibly complimentary of Landale and his time in the NBA so far.
"I think Jock Landale has found a home here," Miller said on NBA on TNT.
"He stayed the whole summer in Phoenix and worked with the younger guys and absolutely destroyed them.”
Josh Giddey would have been another Aussie to take the court today, however has been sidelined by an ankle injury he suffered against the Minnesota Timberwolves.