Lopez slips, Dash impresses in latest mock draft

• ‍Karim Lopez and Dash Daniels among top talents for 2026 draft
• Four players in contention for No. 1 pick with elite potential
• Class features strong top talent but questions remain about overall depth

The latest 2026 NBA mock draft from expert Sam Vecenie is out and it's not great news for two of the NBL's top Next Stars.

Vecenie, from The Athletic and The New York Times, published his draft predictions earlier this week with New Zealand Breakers young gun Karim Lopez and Melbourne United's Dash Daniels both dropping from the ESPN mock draft from Jonathon Givony, which was released before the NBL season.

In those rankings, Givony had Lopez at No.7 while Daniels was predicted to go 10th.

As an expert on college basketball as well as having an impressive depth of knowledge, Vecenie had the pair featured lower in the rankings with Lopez dropping all the way to 24th and Daniels surpassing the Mexican teenager into 14th spot.

Vecenie sighted Lopez's struggles on defence with the Breakers as the reason for his lower ranking.

"Lopez’s energy level has just been nowhere near good enough on defence, and he’s struggled immensely off the ball on one of the worst teams in the league," Vecenie wrote on The NY Times.

"Lopez came into the year with a back injury and had what was referred to as a 'bout of sickness' a couple of weeks ago, so he hasn’t had a clean slate of health. But teams are already worried about what exactly his role would be athletically and on defence in the NBA."

The 18-year-old is averaging 10.1 points, six rebounds and 1.7 assists per game for the struggling Breakers. But Vecenie did say there positive signs on the offensive end.

"Lopez’s numbers look in line with other lottery picks who have come out of Australia’s Next Stars pathway, but the overall play on the court has been far too inconsistent," he wrote.

"He’s averaging 10 points and six rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3, so the shot looks to have really worked itself out.

"He’ll also show flashes of attacking closeouts that give you some hope on offense."

Vecenie's report on Daniels is a little more positive with the Bendigo product having an impressive start to his NBL career with the league-leading United.

"Daniels has helped himself about as much as any player in the class with his early-season play. He’s been terrific for Melbourne United, doing everything at a high level outside of shooting," he wrote.

"The younger brother of the Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels is an awesome defensive player at the point of attack and is highly switchable. He’s strong and physical. His downhill driving game and cutting have been top-notch, and he passes the ball well as a wing. I don’t think he’s really a point guard, but he has skills that translate."

Despite Daniels' improved shooting early in the season, Vecenie said it still needed work.

"The one issue? The jumper is going to take a lot of time to develop. He has touch and showcases it on floaters in the lane. But he’ll need to make some major mechanical improvements over the next couple of years. He doesn’t turn 18 until December, though, so there is a lot of time," he said.

Vecenie's mock draft had Kansas' boom recruit, Darryn Peterson, going with the No.1 pick.

Australian big man, NCAA National Champion and Florida Gators star Alex Condon was at No.50.