Dyson Daniels Says Pelicans Are 'Cursed,' Cites Team's Continued Injury Struggles

Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels referred to his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, as "cursed" on Wednesday, per NBA insider Jake Fischer.

"That organization's cursed," Daniels said. "Every year there's something new. I'm happy I'm not there anymore."

When asked to elaborate, the 21-year-old referenced the team's struggles with injuries throughout the past few seasons and discussed his own prior health issues while he was a member of the organization.

"The curse, man," Daniels said. "I had like four or five ankle injuries down there as well. There's something down in that water down there or something. They got hamstrings. They got knees. They got concussions and stuff as well. They get everything down there. I don't know what it is. Playing hard I guess?"

While the Pelicans are coming off a 49-win season to go along with a playoff appearance, they've been plagued by injuries as they've attempted to rise up the Western Conference standings.

Zion Williamson has highlighted New Orleans' health woes, as the star power forward has appeared in just 190 games since the team selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He's also missed 20 games this season due to a hamstring injury.

Brandon Ingram has also served as an efficient three-level scorer when healthy, but he's surpassed 60 games played in just one of the past three seasons. Ingram is currently sidelined with a high-grade left ankle sprain.

As for Daniels, he appeared in 120 of a possible 164 games in his two seasons with the Pelicans before he was traded to the Hawks over the summer. While some of the missed time can be attributed to his limited rotation minutes to open his NBA career, he's still been able to stay on the floor in Atlanta.

He's only missed two games to begin his 2024-25 campaign, establishing himself as one of the association's best perimeter defenders. Daniels has racked up a league-leading 73 steals this season, 24 more than Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams at No. 2.

With the Hawks sitting at 14-12 while the Pelicans own a mere 5-21 record as they deal with injuries, Daniels is certainly happy with the change of scenery.