Underrated Prospect Makes His Case with Solid Summer League Performance

While some players on the Nets’ NBA Summer League roster are fresh faces with time to develop, others must use every opportunity to prove themselves to the franchise, knowing it might be their last shot.

In Brooklyn’s first Summer League win over the Orlando Magic, Caleb Daniels continued what’s been a quietly strong showing. In 26 minutes, he tied for the team lead in assists and defensive rebounds, while adding eight points on 50 percent shooting.

Though this was his first start of the summer, Daniels has been one of the Nets’ most well-rounded contributors throughout their West Coast run, leading the team in three-point percentage and making an impact as a cerebral distributor and defender.

For the past two seasons, the Villanova product has played for the Miami Heat's G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Daniels appeared in 33 games last season, averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. His best game of the season came against the Iowa Wolves, where he scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds while shooting 88.9% from the field.

Ahead of the 2024-2025 NBA season, Daniels signed a contract with the Heat after helping lead Miami to a Las Vegas Summer League championship in 2024. That summer, he averaged six points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.29 steals while shooting 40.6 percent from the field.

After scoring eight points and grabbing nine rebounds while shooting 50% from the field in his lone preseason game, Daniels was waived and later signed with the Skyforce.

During his first season in the G League, Daniels averaged 12.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 43.4% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the arc.

Most recently, Daniels signed with Filou Oostende of the BNXT League on March 31. He helped lead Oostende to the Belgian Cup championship while averaging 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists through 11 games.

While his chances of making Brooklyn's roster are a longshot, his performance this summer should at least help generate him some serious consideration to earn a spot on the teams G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.