Dash Daniels’ time with the South East Melbourne Phoenix is off to a bang.
Daniels had a night out against the Perth Wildcats, where he joined Andrew Gaze and LaMelo Ball as the only players to record at least 24 points and 12 rebounds aged 18 or younger.
Against the Wildcats, he finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and one steals, while shooting 9-13 from the field and 2-4 from three-point range.
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Daniels joined the Phoenix after a tough rookie season with Melbourne United.
The NBL Next Star was a highly-rated NBA Draft prospect last year before falling out of favour and returning to the NBL for another season.
Now under Josh King and his system, Daniels is flourishing and showing glimpses of a future that could see him join brother Dyson in the NBA.
He then backed it up with 11 points, three rebounds and four assists against the JackJumpers, with the Phoenix starting the season 1-1.
Speaking on NBL Overtime, Damon Lowery spoke about Daniels’ performance against the Wildcats.
“He’s treating grown men like they’re the kids,” Lowery said.
Daniels has emerged as one of the NBL’s most exciting young prospects after a blistering start to NBL27.Source: Getty Images
“Dash, like I said last week, the dude plays with the violence. He backs himself.
“And now with the freedom, he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder, worrying about mistakes, worrying about getting subbed out.
“He’s playing so much more loose and his confidence grows.”
Following the NBL25 season, Daniels declined to enter the NBA Draft, which saw Karim Lopez drafted with pick 21 to the Memphis Grizzlies and Malique Lewis selected with the 60th pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Randall Sweet from Sports Illustrated wrote about Daniels’ performance against the Wildcats and his development since last season.
“If the young guard prospect continues to showcase his improvements on offense throughout the 2026-27 season, it seems likely that Daniels could earn a spot in the first round of the 2027 draft,” Sweet wrote.
Jackjumpers edge out the Phoenix | 00:52
“Similar to his older brother, Daniels offers impressive perimeter defensive abilities and was previously valued for his traits on that end of the floor.
“Due to his strengths on defence, Daniels’ improvements on offense are even more significant, indicating that the young guard has the potential to be a solid two-way player at the next level.”
Last season, then-New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green was also full of praise for Daniels following the NBAxNBL games.
“His defensive instincts are very similar to his brother [Dyson],” Green said.
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“He picks up full court, long arms, got great size. He’s physical, and he caused some havoc for us defensively; he’s a really good player.”
Daniels’ defensive ability has never been the major question.
But with the 18-year-old already showing signs of significant improvement on the offensive end, his strong start with the Phoenix could see him push his way into the first-round conversation for the 2027 NBA Draft.