An NBA scout's in-depth look at NBL's young stars

• Karim Lopez (NZ Breakers) and Dash Daniels (Melbourne United) sit in the top 10 in ESPN's 2026 NBA Mock Draft
• An NBA scout said NBL talents Jaylin Galloway and Ben Henshall were also talents NBA teams were keeping an eye on
• The NBL Next Stars program started in season 2018-19

An NBA scout has urged people to be patient with Australian Next Star Dash Daniels despite the hype already building as the Melbourne United rookie tips-off his first NBL season.

The younger brother of Dyson Daniels, the 2024-25 NBA Most Improved Player, is one of two Next Stars to feature in the top 10 of the current ESPN 2026 NBA Mock Draft, sitting at pick 10 with New Zealand Breakers second-year forward Karim Lopez predicted to be selected at No.7.

Daniels, 17, already has a FIBA Asia Cup gold medal under his belt with the Boomers and is a defensive terror - just like his older brother - but a scout for one of the NBA's biggest teams, who wished to remain unnamed, believes the key to the Bendigo product's stocks was for people "not to rush him".

"I think Karim and Dash are two very different prospects. I think Karim's more settled or has a more direct path in who he is as a player and who he can be at the NBA level," he told basketball.com.au.

"His game is a little bit more mature, I'll call it, I think some of his physical tools help that. I was really impressed last year with how physical he was for a 17-year-old running around against men.

"Not only was he able to withstand the physicality, but there were plenty of times he overpowered people. So, I think that's kind of his thing, he's a big, long-ranging wing that can do a bunch of different things.

"It's funny, the NBA is kind of shifting now from just a role player, like this is your job, as to going back to more well-rounded players, which is exciting. I think Karim fits that mould really well, and I feel like he's a bit more settled and understands who he is and how he can affect games.

"I think it's important to note, at the Blitz, Karim wasn't really there yet last year and then they went over to the US and he had that really good game against, I believe it was Utah and that kind of just clicked for him, right? All of a sudden he came back and he's completely different. So, maybe it's the same for Dash.

"Maybe he just needs that one good game to settle himself... I do think the big thing with Dash is that it's important nobody tries to rush him in who he is and what he does. That's the kind of mistake you see with some young players over the last couple of years. Certain people say 'you could be this but we're going to try to make you this right now' and that typically doesn't work out.

"I would just like people to show patience with Dash and see how he develops."

The scout, who is experienced with the Australian basketball landscape, said Daniels had some really unique tools and NBA teams would also look at the rapid progression his brother made in his third season.

"He's a really good defender already, both on and off the ball, he understands things, he's alert and the offensive side is going to come for him eventually," he said.

"I've seen him practice, I've seen him compete at the Blitz and in international tournaments and he's a competitor. I just think he's a little behind where Karim was offensively a year ago. That's just an area he's just going to grow through experience with.

"To be honest, every team's always looking into family backgrounds, were the parents athletes, what kind of environment was he raised in? So, you can kind of connect he and Dyson but also say, he's completely his own player and he's on his own journey.

"I do know that Dyson was at a very similar stage at the same age and he went over to the US and he was in the G League Ignite program and he developed and it's worked out really well for him.

"It's easy to forget how long it took Dyson to get to where he got to this past year. That's why I just keep harping on, Dash just needs an appropriate amount of time. He'll be 18 at the draft next year, so he's just so young and you've got to be patient with him."

On the other side of the fence, the scout said he had already seen huge growth in Lopez, even at the Blitz, where he didn't play due to injury but played a leadership role as a teenager by being vocal on the sidelines and during timeouts.

He said it was a sign Lopez was feeling comfortable at this level, which would help his performances go to a new level in NBL26, an improvement he also expected to see in South East Melbourne Phoenix Next Star Malique Lewis. He also said NBA scouts would be keeping a close eye on Sydney Kings guard Jaylin Galloway and Ben Henshall from the Perth Wildcats as the season went on.

"Jaylin is certainly athletic enough to be put on an NBA floor right here and now," the scout said.

"I guess it's figuring out, what's his thing? I think that's the biggest thing that he needs to figure out. Who am I as a player? Obviously, if you get a guy like that that gets moved over to the NBA, it's not because of how you necessarily put the ball in the basket. It's moreso, can you be 40% from a corner three and have an all-NBA point guard find you or whoever your facilitator is? Can you be a lockdown defender?

"I think, if that's the area he chooses to grow most in, I think that's what makes him really intriguing. Can he stop people at a high level? Then, can he just continue to make shots?

"Watching the Asia Cup and watching him a little bit at the Blitz, he just seems a lot more mature to me, like a lot more settled as a person. He was only, I think he was only 20 when he went over on that two-way to the Milwaukee Bucks, he was still a kid, he still is a kid. I just think that level of maturity and maybe the injury last year, sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder, so maybe that's what it was.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does this year.

"I think Ben Henshall's another one. He's certainly talented, I think he's competitive, he has confidence, he wants to win, all that kind of stuff. He has the right intangibles in that sense. I guess he's just got to grow and figure out, I know last year they tried him a little bit as a point at times and I don't know how comfortable he was in that, if he can truly find himself as a secondary ball handler, I think that really elevates his value.

"An area that I have seen improvement from the Asia Cup and at the Blitz was on the defensive side and I think that's a big thing for people. He's got to improve on that end. I think he is taking noticeable steps, which is important for him. But he's talented, he's bigger than you think, he's got really good size, he's long and he's confident.

"I think if he has a really good year this year and he shows good commitment on the defensive side, I do think that's a guy that we will show a lot of interest in for sure.

"I also think, for Benny Henshall, it's a shame that the college route didn't work out for him because I think he would thrive in that kind of environment, playing with like-aged people."

The NBL was ahead of the game with the establishment of the Next Stars program, which started in 2018-19 and has produced stars such as LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddy, Ousmane Dieng, Alex Sarr and more. But a number of changes to the basketball scene around the world, including big-money NIL deals for college athletes, could be seen as damaging to the progress of the Next Stars program.

However, the scout said the outlook on the NBL and the Next Stars program from scouts across the NBA had not changed despite those changes.

"I think the key difference that the NBL and Next Stars program provides is you're truly playing against professionals," he said.

"You look at the class of import that's been in the league for the past say seven seasons, these are all either fringe NBA guys, ex-NBA guys, like there's nobody really coming across that's a journeyman as an import through mid-level leagues in Europe or anything like that.

"I know the college game has gotten much older with 25, 26-year-old guys running around the college scene now, the other day I even saw there was a 28-year-old guy running around, far different to when I was in college, that's for sure.

"But I think the level of professionalism in the NBL is a big factor, because you can still be micromanaged in college, like that's the reality. I think here in Australia, on the other side of the world, I do think it gives you a better look into how serious a kid is, the maturity they have, that kind of thing, there's still a lot of benefit.

"It's also being able to play with the physicality of men. The athleticism at Power 4 school and colleges is certainly greater than what it is here in the NBL, but the physicality and the IQ is better here. So, I do think scouts are still putting a lot of value into it.

"At least half of the league was represented here over the Blitz, so, I'd say it's still pretty well respected."

The scout, who travels all around the world watching international events for his team, said Australia do a great job in developing young athletes, also praising the work of the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence in Canberra.

He said there were a lot of young Australians on the radars of NBA teams and mentioned new UConn recruit Jacob Furphy and Canberra's own Ajak Nyuon as talents to keep an eye on.