ONE OF the most hyped young talents to come through the National Basketball League (NBL) Next Star program, local talent Dash Daniels was given plenty of playing time in his first season in the competition as a member of Melbourne United.

Coming from impressive basketball pedigree, the younger brother of reigning NBA Most Improved Player Dash came into the season with lofty expectations around his own aspirations of reaching the top level, and joined Australia’s premier program of developing young athletes in a professional environment.

Although he is not longer considered a lottery chance at the 2026 NBA Draft, he still showed glimpses of his potential and is still well and truly in the frame to have his name called out in Brooklyn in three months’ time.

Dash Daniels (Melbourne United)

2025/26 averages – 4.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks
41.6 per cent FG, 37.9 per cent FT

Daniels came into the season with plenty of expectation on his shoulders, given his brother’s success at NBA level and his own hopes of reaching the world’s elite competition. With some scouts rating him inside the top 10 heading into the fixture, and if he could demonstrate his ability in the NBL, it would give him another boost.

Unfortunately, he was not able to showcase his offensive talents as much as many expected, coming off the bench for most of the season and being unable to have much of an impact on the scoreboard. Daniels was able to have a standout performance in his second game in a Melbourne uniform, posting 14 points in the win over the New Zealand Breakers.

In that game, he was able to prove a damaging off-ball contributor, waiting for the well-timed passes and nailing his cuts to the basket to make sure he was in the right position for the dish-off. He showed plenty of aggression when driving to the basket, doing most of his scoring around the cup to show an innate inside ability.

On that side of the ball, it was his only double-digit scoring game of the season, and that lack of offensive production may have hurt his draft chances, although he was always good for a basket or two. However, it was his defensive traits that earned the youngster an elevation into the starting lineup midway through the season.

Daniels was tasked with guarding some of the NBL’s premier players, and it is the quality of his defensive skills that will hold him in good stead come draft time. With strong lateral movement and a natural knack for poking the ball free and disrupting plays for the ball handler, those skills should translate to the NBA and will have undoubtedly impressed scouts throughout the season.

Despite sliding down some draft boards over the course of the NBL season, and another season on Australian shores still a real possibility, Daniels still showed enough to justify selection at the top level in the coming months, and was a defensive weapon for United throughout the season.