Dash Daniels' disciplined defensive determination

• Dash Daniels is the brother of Atlanta Hawks star and the NBA's Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels
• Daniels has been projected to go as high as No.9 in NBA mock drafts over the past year
• He is shooting 36% from the three-point line as a Next Star for Melbourne United

He's only 17 but already Dash Daniels is known around the world for his suffocating defence.

But perhaps his biggest quality as a teenage NBL Next Star with Melbourne United is his willingness to take on the league's toughest defensive challenges, including arguably the greatest import ever in five-time MVP in Adelaide 36ers guard Bryce Cotton.

A quality which has no doubt impressed NBA scout ahead of next year's draft, where he's been projected as high as the No.9 pick in mock drafts over the past year.

Daniels spoke about taking on those challenges on the latest edition of 'Cut to the Jase' with Jason Cadee.

"I mean I love it, I love playing defence, I love guarding the best player on the other team," he told basketball.com.au.

"I don't like to be sitting on the sidelines and seeing those guys make shots and go off. I always want to be the one guarding him and I think I can put up a good challenge every night.

"So, being able to force (Cotton) into those tough shots, you know, Bryce Cotton is a unreal player and just being able to force him into those those tougher shots, he's going to make them, but just being able to limit the amount of catches he gets and all that sort of thing.

"But, I love playing defence at the end end of the day."

It's no shock Daniels is a lockdown defender, given it seems to run through his genes, with older brother Dyson Daniels being one of the best defenders in the NBA and also a finalist for 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year.

So, when asked who was the better defender in the family, Dash still had supreme confidence.

"That's that's a tricky one. I'm always going to say me but there's definitely a lot of sides to that," he said.

The biggest question on Daniels, who was part of the Australian Boomers' recent successful FIBA Asia Cup campaign, was his perimeter shooting with experts analysing his technique. But already the Bendigo wing has made adjustments midseason, which has him shooting 36% from distance.

"I mean coming into United um my shot wasn't at the level that I wanted it to be at and I'm still looking to improve every single day," he said.

"I think there was a lot of aspects that were wrong with my shot - with my balance, leaning to the left, coming across my body with the ball and there's a lot of things that you don't want in your shot.

"You want it to be pretty basic and straightforward. So, just trying to get rid of those things. I keep my my set point a little higher and not going too far with the ball to my left and not fading either. Just trying to keep everything that little bit straighter for me."

Despite his young career, Daniels has already made several big-time shots throughout the NBL season and spoke about where he finds the confidence.

"I don't to start my professional career off being that shy kid that doesn't want to take the shots and all that stuff," he said.

"So, I just go out there with confidence and believe myself and what happens happens. If you don't make shots, then you don't make shots, but if you make them, you make them. So, just being able to have that confidence and, not be too shy and step up in the moment."

Dash and United take on Perth at John Cain Arena today.