THE National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League kicked off their season over the weekend, with plenty of cracking contests across the competition. While much of the roster is filled from talents acquired from the United States, one highly touted Australian is making headlines following an impressive debut match.

Dyson Daniels has been projected as a lottery pick in next year’s NBA Draft, and is one of Australia’s brightest young basketball talents. He recently followed in the footsteps of other talented youngsters and opted to take his basketball journey through the NBA’s G-League, which pits young guns against some incredibly tough opponents.

Daniels signed with the Ignite team, which was home to Jalen Green last year, who ended up going top-three in the draft thanks to some impressive play. Ignite had their first game over the weekend, and while they were unable to emerge victorious over the South Bay Lakers, Daniels was the recipient of plenty of media attention thanks to an outstanding and mature debut performance.

The 18-year-old finished with 22 points (on efficient shooting), six rebounds and three assists as he continued to boost his draft stock with strong level of professionalism for a rookie, as he faced off against some mature and experienced talent.

Daniels was the primary ball handler for Ignite for much of the game, with the coaches putting plenty of faith in the youngster to make the right play. He opened his match with a nice shot from downtown, draining a three-pointer from the corner, not hesitating to let his shot fly.

His next scoreboard impact came minutes later, when he was able to evade defenders to extend his side’s first-half lead. Daniels planted his pivot foot slightly outside the key (which was full of South Bay defenders), spin to avoid his opponent and sank the floating shot.

By the time half-time rolled around Daniels had recorded 10 points and also dished out four quality assists, leading his side to take a promising lead. Opposition defenders appeared to have no answer for Daniels’ shot-making and IQ when he had the ball in his hands.

The second half saw Daniels take a much more aggressive approach with the ball in his hands, continuing to put the ball up in an impressive manner. He opened his third quarter account with a four-point play, with a teammate finding him open from downtown, and Daniels did not hesitate in putting the shot up, with an opponent fouling him in the process.

He matched this shooting prowess with aggressiveness inside the paint, continuing to knock down floaters over much taller defenders. Despite Daniels continuing to play in impressive fashion, Ignite coughed up the lead they had built throughout the first half, and ended up losing the game 105-112.

Despite the result, Daniels certainly did not do his stock any harm with an impressive debut outing, displaying that he has the confidence and skill to make it at the top level when he is given his opportunity. If he can continue to deliver performances of this caliber, he may find himself sneaking into the upper echelon of mock drafts moving forward.

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