Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels was named the 2025 NBA Most Improved Player on Wednesday, winning the award over Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and L.A. Clippers big Ivica Zubac. 

Daniels ran away with the award. He earned 44 first-place votes and 332 total points, nearly double what Zubac earned for his second-place finish. Cunningham finished third with 122 points. 

Daniels arrived in Atlanta this past season after two years with the New Orleans Pelicans and saw his numbers soar with the Hawks. He capped off his first campaign with career-best averages of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and a league-leading three steals per game. 

His shooting also improved from 43.5% in his first two seasons to 49.3% this year. Daniels' performance earned him a starting spot in the rotation, which he did not get in two years with the Pelicans.  

Cunningham averaged 26.1 points and 9.1 assists this season with the Pistons, whom he helped lead to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Zubac averaged 16.8 points and a career-high 12.6 rebounds this season with the Clippers.

Like most NBA honors, the Most Improved Player Award is voted upon by a panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the regular season concludes. Other results announced before Daniels' win include: San Antonio's Stephon Castle winning Rookie of the Year, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley winning Defensive Player of the Year, New York’s Jalen Brunson winning Clutch Player of the Year and Boston’s Payton Pritchard winning Sixth Man of the Year.

The Hawks went 40-42 in the regular season and secured the ninth seed before losing both play-in games to Orlando and Miami. 

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