NBA Draft: Dash Daniels, Karim Lopez Duel in NBL Showdown

On Sunday, Melbourne United and the New Zealand Breakers faced off in an early NBL26 matchup that featured two 2026 NBA Draft hopefuls.

Dash Daniels made his NBL debut with Melbourne, and Karim Lopez played in his second game of his second season with the Breakers, and both players effectively starred for their respective teams.

Daniels — the younger brother of Hawks’ star Dyson Daniels — made his NBL debut. It was a highly successful one, as he poured on 14 points on 6-for-19 shooting, adding five rebounds, one assists and two steals. He shot 1-for-3 from beyond the arc, but managed to show off his downhill attack in his squad’s win.

A 6-foot-5 guard — one of the youngest in the entire league — there were questions about whether Daniels would see major minutes with Melbourne this season, or if he could make the most of them. He certainly did on Saturday, playing 20 and finishing with a +14 plus-minus.

A versatile combo guard, Daniels offers plenty of the same things that Dyson does for Atlanta, such as a strong transition game, some ancillary play-making, stingy defense and what NBA decision-makers hope will be slightly more 3-point shooting.

Lopez, too, saw a stellar game. Across 20 minutes of his own, he added 14 points on 75% shooting overall, hitting two of his three attempts 3-pointers and adding six rebounds and a block.

A 6-foot-9 forward, he has a season in the NBL under his belt already, but performances like Saturday’s are sure to boost his stock. 

Lopez played just 18 minutes in the teams’ first game of the season, scoring six points on five shots. He missed the preseason due to a back injury, but seems to be finding more comfortability by the game.

Melbourne eventually ran away with the game, securing a 114-82 win over NZB.

Despite the 2026 NBA Draft class offering tons of talent, both Daniels and Lopez have decent shots at becoming lottery picks. Both players will look to replicate their performances through the rest of the NBL26 season. The league is among the best in the world, having sent numerous prospects to the league in recent years, such as LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, Rayan Rupert, Ousmane Dieng and plenty more.