Dash Daniels Could Be in the Perfect Environment with Melbourne United Next Season

With Lachlan Olbrich and Alex Toohey both impressing at the NBA Draft combine scrimmages, and Rocco Zikarasky claiming to have added 30 pounds of muscle, Australian prospects are managing to make some noise for the 2025 NBA Draft. In 2026, though, an Aussie prospect could potentially land in the top five. Dash Daniels, the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks wing Dyson Daniels, is seen by many as a top-10 prospect at the moment. Months back, he announced he would spend the 2025-26 season, before entering the draft, with Australian NBL club Melbourne United via the league's Next Stars program.

When Daniels initially signed, the fit seemed strong for his development. He would be surrounded by Australian veterans like Matthew Dellavedova and Chris Goulding, as well as other elite NBL talent like Jack White. But after United came up short and finished as NBL runner-ups for the second season in a row, Dellavedova and United decided to part ways, and the former NBA guard signed with the Sydney Kings.

Some concerns percolated that Dash could now be tasked with more on-ball responsibility than anticipated if United couldn't find a strong replacement for Dellavedova. Dash is similar to his brother, boasting elite defensive upside but still very much a raw product on the offensive end. He told Draft Digest that he was working hard on his offensive game in an interview a few months back, particularly his jumper to help open up the floor for himself. If that improvement comes around, he could likely take some more on-ball repetitions generally next season simply because he's respected as a shooter. With his quick-twitch athleticism, he could overcome a still-rough handle that he has.

But United's roster has changed once more. They found a perfect replacement for Dellavedova in American guard Milton Doyle. Doyle helped the Tasmania JackJumpers lift the 2025 NBL championship trophy as their most lethal perimeter threat. He's got elite size and length for a guard in the NBL, is good in pick and roll and isolation, and is at his best when surrounded by shooting. With Goulding flying off screens, Doyle breaking defenders down on the perimeter, and NBA champion Jack White drawing defenders' attention on the interior, Dash suddenly has the perfect environment for his development and draft stock.

Dash will not be picked up by teams' best defenders and probably not even their second-best off-screen. With the amount of screening and coming off screen attention White and Goulding draw, he'll get plenty of openings to cut or attack driving lanes quickly off the catch. With Doyle as the setup man, these opportunities will rarely be missed.

Dash will also be empowered to lean into his defensive talent with less offensive responsibility on his shoulders. He'll have the freedom to show why he plans on following in the footsteps of his brother and compete for Defensive Player of the Year awards in the NBA. While a lot of international prospects are opting to come stateside, Dash probably made the right choice by staying home.