25
Apr
Aussies in the NBA
Younger Daniels brother puts 'Dash' through 2026 draft
Melbourne United guard Dash Daniels warms up before an NBL clash against South East Melbourne Phoenix at John Cain Arena. Photo: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Highlights
NBL Next Star Dash Daniels delays NBA Draft, focusing on NBL and Boomers development
- 16-year-old Dash signs on NBL Next Stars dotted line
- Dash of misfortune: Daniels drops in latest big board
- Case FOR Dash staying two seasons as an NBL Next Star
- Boom-time: Dash Daniels joins elite 17-year-old company
NBL Next Star and Australian Boomers guard Dash Daniels is not entering the 2026 NBA Draft, @DraftExpress‘s Jonathan Givony reports.
Daniels, 18, is the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks point guard Dyson and signed as an NBL Next Star as a 16-year-old on December 14, 2024.
He has been touted as an NBA Draft pick in multiple mock drafts throughout his NBL career with Melbourne United.
He was as high as No.10 on Givony’s June 27, 2025, Mock Draft for ESPN.
“Daniels will likely be the youngest prospect in the 2026 draft class – turning 18 in mid-December – making it difficult to project how he'll handle the rigours of the Australian NBL next season,” Givony wrote.
“He brings many of the same strengths and weaknesses as his brother Dyson (a Hawks guard), but is bigger, stronger and longer at the same age, which won't hurt his NBA projection.
“Similar to his brother, he's an outstanding defender and a work in progress as a ball handler, shooter and scorer, but he has a strong feel for the game, and plays with pace and unselfishness.
“He appears to be making strides with his shooting, too, based on what he has shown this summer in the NBL1 league with the Sandringham Sabres.”
Dash Daniels — First NBL Season Breakdown for Melbourne United
Season line: 35 games │ 501 minutes │ 143 points │ 83 rebounds │ 30 assists │ 24 steals │ 9 blocks │ 24 turnovers │ 337 SC
Averages: 14.3 mins │ 4.1 pts │ 2.4 reb │ 0.9 ast │ 0.7 stl │ 0.3 blk │ 0.7 TO │ 9.6 SC
Dash Daniels’ first season was built on low-usage minutes, defensive activity and flashes of all-round impact rather than volume scoring. He played in 35 games, averaged just over 14 minutes, and had only one double-digit scoring game, but his best outings came when he filled multiple columns.
Best Game
September 25 was his most complete performance:
17.6 mins │ 9 pts │ 5 reb │ 3 ast │ 2 stl │ 60.0 FG% │ 100.0 FT% │ 24 SC
That was his season-high score impact game, narrowly ahead of September 21, when he posted 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in 20.1 minutes.
Season Highs
- Minutes: 24.0 — Jan 25
- Points: 14 — Sep 21
- Rebounds: 5 — five times
- Assists: 3 — Sep 25, Nov 21
- Steals: 3 — Mar 7
- Blocks: 1 — nine times
Month-by-Month Trend
September: 3 games │ 8.3 pts, 4.0 reb, 1.3 stl
Best scoring month. He opened with his strongest offensive stretch.
October: 6 games │ 4.3 pts, 3.2 reb, 1.5 ast
Most balanced month. Rebounding and defensive activity held up.
November: 6 games │ 5.7 pts, 2.2 reb
Scoring returned in bursts, including two nine-point games.
December: 7 games │ 3.7 pts, 1.1 reb
Minutes dipped and production flattened.
January: 7 games │ 2.6 pts, 2.1 reb
Lower scoring, but better ball security — only one turnover across seven games.
February: 4 games │ 2.5 pts, 2.5 reb
Role remained limited.
March: 2 games │ 2.0 pts, 3.0 reb, 1.5 stl
Finished with defensive activity, including three steals on Mar 7.
Daniels scored in 28 of 35 games, reached five-plus points 14 times, and had five-plus rebounds five times. His best value came as a connector: rebounding from the guard/wing spot, creating deflections, and keeping turnovers low.
The most encouraging number was ball security. He had 18 games without a turnover, and averaged fewer than one turnover per game despite playing across the full season.
The scoring was still inconsistent. He had seven scoreless games and only one game above nine points, so the next step is converting activity minutes into steadier offensive output.
🇦🇺 Australian Boomers Career
2 tournaments │ 8 games
Career Average: 1.7 pts │ 1.3 reb │ 0.4 ast │ 1.5 EFF
Tournament Breakdown
2027 — FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers
2 games │ 0.0 pts │ 1.5 reb │ 0.0 ast │ 0.5 EFF
2025 — FIBA Asia Cup
6 games │ 2.3 pts │ 1.2 reb │ 0.5 ast │ 1.8 EFF
Daniels’ senior minutes have been limited and role-specific. He hasn’t been asked to score — instead, his impact has come through defensive possessions, rebounding from the perimeter, and low-mistake play. His numbers are low across the board, but that reflects opportunity, not necessarily capability. This is a development phase within the Boomers structure, not a finished product.
Australian Junior Career
2022 — FIBA U15 Oceania Championship: 🥇 1st
2023 — FIBA U16 Asian Championship: 🥇 1st
2024 — FIBA U18 Asia Cup: 🥇 1st
2025 — FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup: 6th
2024 — FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup: 15th
Daniels has been part of three gold medal-winning Australian teams at youth level.
- Oceania + Asia dominance: Australia controlled these tournaments, and Daniels was part of that core.
- World Cup results (U17, U19): More mixed — reflecting tougher global competition and role adjustments.
2025 — BWB Global Camp (Washington Wizards)
- Selected into a global NBA pathway program
- Recognised as both All-Star and Defensive MVP
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