It is still way too early to start thinking about the 2026 NBA Draft, but there is a very intriguing teenage prospect playing “Down Under” and he already has intimate NBA knowledge. Seventeen-year-old Dash Daniels, whose brother is Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, is one of the top international prospects, with significant hype and promise.
Dash Daniels NBA Scouting Report: Australian Teenager Potential Lottery Pick With Top 5-10 Upside
Like European prospects, Australian youngsters generally play for professional clubs before entering the NBA draft. However, unlike their counterparts, Australians do spend most of their youth years in high school. Daniels is a perfect example as he graduated from high school last winter and then joined Melbourne United as part of the NBL’s Next Star Program in December.
If Daniels opts to enter the 2026 NBA Draft, he will be one of the youngest in the draft as he won’t turn 18 for another two months. Born December 18, 2007, Daniels is from a basketball-oriented family from Victoria, Australia. His father, Rick Daniels, played college basketball at North Carolina State before playing professionally in Australia’s SEABL. Daniels oldest brother, Kai Daniels played at Division II Regis University while Dyson Daniels has turned into an elite NBA perimeter defender.
Daniels started hooping eary in his childhood at Melbourne United’s Hoop City facility in Cheltenham. He then enrolled in at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, considered one of the premier basketball development pipelines in Australia. While at Canberra, Daniels quickly distinguished himself as a high-level prospect.
Daniels, a graduate of the NBA Academy, has been honored with several awards during his youth career. He was named the Player of the Australian U18 National Championships in 2024. The 6-6 guard was the Top Defensive Player in the 2025 Basketball Without Borders Camp. Additionally, he has been part of Australia’s youth national team since 2023 while also appearing in six games during the Boomers’ run to a 2025 FIBA Asia gold medal.
Scouting Profile
Height/ Weight: 6-6, 198 pounds
Wingspan: 6-10
Strengths
- Versatile Defense
- Quick feet
- Size and Length
- Basketball IQ
- Excellent Ballhandler
- Superior Vision
- Solid Distributor
Needs Improvement
- Creating Offense: his own and for others
- Shooting: Consistently on the Perimeter
- Free Throw Shooting
Daniels is a right-handed shooter with excellent size, strength, and length for a guard his age. Like his NBA brother, Daniels projects as a defensive stopper due to his physical attributes, athleticism, and quickness. He can guard all three backcourt positions, knows how to read offenses, and anticipates well — regularly getting steals and deflections.
Offensively, Daniels is comfortable playing both on and off the ball. Daniels’ best attributes are rebounding, court vision, and ball-handling, finding open shooters and cutters. He also has shown the ability to create and thrive in pick-and-roll situations as well as in the open court. While he is not a great shooter, he does a good job at attacking closeouts with a quick first step, with his go-to finish being a floater.
Daniels has been seeing consistent minutes off the bench for Melbourne in the early going. In nine games, Daniels averages 6.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over 17 minutes a contest. He also compiles 1.1 steals with shooting splits of 48.9/31.3 (5 -16)/46.2.
Daniels has scored in double-figures once and grabbed at least five boards on three occassions through his first nine appearances. One of Daniel’s best performances of the early going came against the New Orleans Pelicans in an Exhibition game in Melbourne on October 3, where he totaled 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting (0 of 2 from 3-point line), six rebounds, one steal, and an assist in 27 minutes of action.
“I do think the big thing with Dash is that nobody must try to rush him in who he is and what he does,” an unnamed NBA scout told Nine, com of Australia. “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.”
© David Banks, Imagn Images
