by Sam Perley, hornets.com
For a majority of NBA players, overcoming adversity is part of being in the league. For players like the Hornets’ Troy Daniels, his entire professional career has been defined by trying to find a role all while frequently changing teams and adjusting to different situations. Now in his third NBA season, the former undrafted shooting guard seems to have finally found a home with the Hornets.
Originally from Roanoke, VA, Daniels attended William Fleming High School before committing to play for coach Shaka Smart and Virginia Commonwealth University. Daniels began playing for the Rams in the fall 0f 2009, who at the time were a lightly-regarded mid-major basketball program.
During Daniels’ tenure at VCU, the program reached unprecedented heights, most notably reaching the Final Four in 2011 after barely qualifying for the NCAA tournament in the first place. Daniels ended up starting every game as a senior during the 2012-13 season, averaging 12.3 points while also setting a new school record for most made three-pointers in a single season (124). Daniels also established a new Atlantic 10 Conference single-game record with 11 made three-pointers against East Tennessee State on Jan. 2, 2013.
Despite his numerous collegiate accolades, Daniels was not selected in the 2013 NBA Draft but did end up playing for Charlotte in the NBA Summer League soon afterwards. Daniels eventually signed with Charlotte in September but was soon waived and eventually ended up with the Houston Rockets organization. He spent much of his rookie season shuttling back and forth between the Rockets and their D-League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Daniels did see time in Houston’s first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, most notably hitting a go-ahead three-pointer in the closing seconds of Game 3.
At the conclusion of the season, Daniels resigned with the Rockets although he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in mid-December. Roughly two months later, Daniels was on the move again, this time to Charlotte along with Mo Williams. Now in his first full season in Charlotte (and first season with just one professional team) Daniels has finally found a niche with the Hornets.
“It feels great. Everybody wants to feel loved by a NBA team. It just feels really good [getting] that Charlotte love,” said the soft-spoken Daniels.
Daniels is shooting a team-best 48.1 percent from three-point range for players with a minimum of 50 attempts. He is also fourth on the team in scoring per 36 minutes at 16.8 points per game and also knocked down a season-high 17 points in Charlotte’s 120-116 overtime victory over Orlando on Jan. 22. Despite the recent successes, Daniels has still managed to stay grounded throughout his journey.
“In college, I showed a lot of emotion. But once you get to the league, you can’t really get too high or too low. Everybody is good and I think that’s part of being a pro,” said Daniels. “Even if you have 30 points one game, you can’t get too high. You got to keep pushing,” he added.
Daniels has also stayed in frequent contact with former college coach, Shaka Smart, who is now the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Texas. Daniels and Smart’s careers have similar parallels, as they’ve each risen to the height of their respective fields after starting off at lower-tier basketball schools.
“Me and Shaka talked about three days ago. I say we talk about two or three times a month. He's doing great. He's loving the job,” said Daniels. “Those guys have been great for him. He asked me how my family is doing and I ask him how his family is doing. We just stay in touch like that.”
Although his role and comfort level certainly seem to have increased in Charlotte, there’s no telling what Daniels will be capable of accomplishing with a couple full NBA seasons under his belt. Fortunately for the injury-stricken Hornets, Daniels seems to have taken his play to the next level at the perfect time as Charlotte continues its run at a postseason berth.
Key Matchup vs. Kings: Spencer Hawes vs. DeMarcus Cousins
Charlotte’s Spencer Hawes will have his hands full when he squares off against DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings on Monday night in Sacramento… Hawes is fresh off his best outing of the season, tallying a season-high 16 points and season-high-tying 10 rebounds in Charlotte’s 120-116 overtime win in Orlando on Jan. 22… The nine-year NBA veteran has also grabbed double-digit rebounds in consecutive games for the first time this season… Hawes will need to be on his game defensively if the Hornets are to contain the red-hot Cousins… The Kings’ center erupted for a career-high 48 points and 13 rebounds in Sacramento’s 108-97 home win over Indiana on Jan. 23… Often times, the ability to get under the skin of the hot-headed Cousins can really throw his game off, a factor Hawes and the rest of the Hornets would be wise to capitalize on if they want to kick off their four-game road trip out west with a victory in Sacramento.
Key Matchup vs. Jazz: P.J. Hairston vs. Gordon Hayward
For the second time in nine days, P.J. Hairston and the Charlotte Hornets will take on Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz, this time in Salt Lake City… Hairston is coming off his best game as a NBA player, exploding for a career-high 20 points and a career-high-tying 10 rebounds in Charlotte’s 97-84 home win over New York on Jan. 23… The Hornets’ second-year forward also stepped up defensively by helping hold Carmelo Anthony to just nine points and will need to do so again against the versatile Gordon Hayward… Hayward torched Charlotte with a season-high 36 points, five rebounds and season-high-tying nine assists in Utah’s 124-119 double-overtime loss on Jan. 18 although the Hornets can ill afford to let the former Butler Bulldog go off again on them… With injuries continuing to mount, the Hornets will need P.J. Hairston locked in defensively if they want to sweep the season series against Hayward and the Jazz on Wednesday night in Utah.