Dash of misfortune: Daniels drops in latest big board

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Rising Australian young gun Dash Daniels has dropped even further in the first NBA big board for 2026 from The Athletic's Sam Vecenie, where he ranks the top 100 best talents, regardless of draft positioning.

Daniels, who was ranked 14th in Vecenie's previous mock draft in November last year, has fallen to 28th overall amid Melbourne United's struggled with the NBL franchise losing seven of their past nine games.

In that rough patch, which has seen United fall from first on the ladder to third with a 15-9 record, Daniels has seen a significant drop in playing time compared to the start of the season where Melbourne won their first nine games.

His drop in minutes even drew comments from NBL legend Mark Worthington, who said the teenager deserved more court time than he had been given in recent weeks.

"Dash with a super strong move," Worthington posted on X after a tough finish over Cairns Taipans big Sam Waardenburg in their 93-92 Ignite Cup loss in Bendigo.

"Kid deserves more minutes than he’s been getting lately."

Despite the fall, the 18-year-old is still averaging 15 minutes per game and is shooting the three-ball at 42%, which was the main concern as he continued to draw closer to a career in the NBA.

He has had several standout moments already in his first professional season, including against the New Orleans Pelicans in Melbourne in October and also guarding the NBL's toughest offensive players, such as five-time MVP Bryce Cotton.

Vecenie and MotorCityHoops broke down Daniels' game on X back in October, 2025.

Falling to 28 is a big drop for Daniels, even though the 2026 draft is stacked with top-end talent, considering he was projected as high as 10th by ESPN in early 2025.

The Bendigo product was a special guest on basketball.com.au podcast 'Cut to the Jase' in 2025 and spoke about his journey towards the NBA Draft and what he has learned from brother and Atlanta Hawks star, Dyson Daniels.

The Athletic's latest rankings isn't good news either for fellow NBL Next Star in New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez, who sits at 25th overall.

While it is just a one-spot slip from Vecenie's first mock draft in 2025, it is a far cry from when the Mexican teenage talent was projected to go as high as seventh in the lottery by ESPN last year.