THE FIRST round of the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season took place over the weekend, marking the first official appearance of the next batch of young players in the competition’s Next Stars program.

Following the success of Rocco Zikarsky and Alex Toohey from the class of 2024, both of whom were selected in the most recent NBA Draft, another two players joined the highly touted program, while a pair of returning Next Stars commenced their second season.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be casting a weekly eye over the 2025/26 Next Stars, with Round 1 seeing Australia’s premier draft prospect announce his arrival onto the scene ahead of a massive campaign.

NBL Next Stars – Round 1

Karim Lopez – New Zealand Breakers

vs. Brisbane Bullets – six points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block
vs. Melbourne United – 14 points, six rebounds, one assist, one block

It was a positive weekend overall for Lopez, who is still looming as a potential top-10 selection at the 2026 NBA Draft following a fantastic Freshman season with the Breakers. Now returning for his second campaign, he is looking to elevate his game to the next level, and his performance in Round 1 was certainly a step in the right direction.

He was still finding his feet in New Zealand’s season opener against the Bullets, following an unfortunate injury issue over the offseason, but truly showed his capabilities against United despite the loss. In that clash, all of Lopez’s physicality and athleticism were on display, as well as an improved showing from behind the arc, where he nailed two shots on three attempts.

The young gun finished the match with 14 points on 6/8 shooting, averaging 10 points across his first two outings and looked extremely polished and improved with his long-range shooting. If he can maintain this level of offensive production, it will elevate his standing in the eyes of NBA scouts in the coming months.

Malique Lewis – SEM Phoenix

vs. Cairns Taipans – two points, eight rebounds, two assists, three steals, two blocks

It was not as productive of a night as Lewis would have been hoping for, finishing with just two points on 1/8 shooting from the field as he struggled to get his shot to fall despite promising signs throughout the preseason in terms of development on this front.

However, he was able to get involved on the boards – where he is typically reliable – as well as defensively, where he joined in on South East Melbourne’s trend of making each possession difficult for the opposition. Lewis was harassing and hounding the opposition for all of his playing time, finishing with three steals and two blocks to demonstrate that this area of his game will be a constant even if the shots are not falling.

Dash Daniels – Melbourne United

vs. Tasmania JackJumpers – two points, two rebounds
vs. New Zealand Breakers – 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals

After finding his feet in the tense win over the JackJumpers in the NBL26 season opener, Daniels officially burst onto the scene with a breakout performance in the win over the Breakers later in the round at John Cain Arena.

The younger brother of reigning NBA Most Improved Player Dyson, Daniels looms as a top-10 selection at next year’s NBA intake, and did those chances no harm against the Breakers. He looked aggressive and creative with ball in hand, showing that his offensive game is perhaps more well-rounded than first thought, attacking the basket and even nailing a three-pointer.

>>DYSON DANIELS PLAYER FOCUS<<

He finished the game with 14 points and five boards, shooting 6/10 from the field and looking a seriously viable option on the offensive end. Although the blowout nature of the game certainly allowed for more court time, Daniels has certainly earned more opportunity in the coming weeks and could firm as one of the best prospects in the draft class.

Noa Kouakou-Heugue – Perth Wildcats

Did not play in Perth’s loss to the JackJumpers.