NBA prospect Dash Daniels understands the benefit of having an older brother playing in the NBA, but his individual path to the league is starting to look like his own.

His brother, Dyson Daniels, has quickly established himself as one of the NBA’s premier perimeter defenders, earning a reputation for being disruptive and bringing positional versatility on that end of the floor. So naturally, there are comparisons between the two brothers, and in some sense, those comparisons are fair, given they’re both phenomenal defensive players.

But their individual paths to the league, and what their ultimate outcomes as finished NBA products could look like, are quite different.

They share the same last name. They share the same defensive mentality and Australian basketball roots. But while Dyson helped put the Daniels name on the basketball map, Dash isn’t trying to recreate his brother’s journey.

He’s trying to create his own.

One of the standouts at adidas Eurocamp in early June, one of the premier international scouting events on the basketball calendar, Daniels reflected on his unique path, the influence his brother has had on his career thus far and ultimately why he’s going back to the NBL.

Daniels was initially pegged as a potential lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But after a season in the NBL that he felt wasn’t up to his standards, Daniels is betting on himself. He opted to withdraw from the draft process and ultimately commit to going back for another year rather than rushing into the NBA.

Daniels was the first to say at Eurocamp that he didn’t play well enough last season to feel like it was time to make that jump. In fact, he’s planning on going back, improving and having the ultimate goal of being a top-10 pick this time next year in the 2027 NBA Draft.

“I think I just needed another year to develop,” Daniels said at adidas Eurocamp. “I think I got so much more room to improve. I don’t think I really played well at all last year and I was still on the draft board. So I think next year my goal is to be a top ten pick.”

And along the way, over the next calendar year, he’ll continue to have his brother as a mentor and a guide of sorts to make that a reality.

“My brother was a big part of my life,” Daniels said. “He kind of went through all the same programs as me and he kind of put eyes on me as well. Like, he got scouts to come watch me and they realized that I was on a similar pathway as well. And to be able to have that is, you know, I’m super grateful for it.”

Daniels doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the advantages that come with having an older brother already playing in the NBA. In fact, very few prospects have somebody that close to them who has experienced modern basketball at that level.

Plenty of NBA prospects have fathers or uncles who played professionally overseas or in the NBA, but the game is different now. Having a brother who is just a few years older, who has experienced the modern pre-draft process, dealt with adversity as a prospect leading up to the NBA and gone through the early years of an NBA career, is invaluable.

“Not many people have a brother or a sibling in the NBA that they can just talk to on a daily basis,” Daniels said at adidas Eurocamp.

And while Dyson’s advice has helped shape Dash’s basketball journey, their two paths are really starting to diverge.

Dyson spent his time just before making the jump to the NBA with the G League Ignite program before becoming the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Dash, meanwhile, has chosen to continue developing through the NBL’s Next Stars program with Melbourne United, playing against grown men and professional basketball players in a league that is well-suited for the transition to the NBA.

When talking to international scouts around the world, there’s a strong belief that the NBL style of play is among the most similar to the NBA relative to many other international competitions. The physicality, pace and style of play make it a valuable development pathway, and Daniels has already seen firsthand how that can accelerate a prospect’s learning curve.

“Being able to play against grown men has prepared me a lot,” said Daniels. “Being able to play professionally, play against bigger guys. It’s a fast-paced league, so it prepares you for the NBA.”

Not only are their paths different in terms of the steps leading up to ultimately being drafted, but their games are starting to get more different as well.

For all the attention surrounding Dash’s defensive ability, he believes his offensive game has another level waiting to be discovered and refined.

Again, the similarities between the Daniels brothers are easy to spot. They both possess outstanding positional size, defensive instincts and basketball IQ, and they’ve both earned reputations for embracing tough defensive assignments. But when asked where he thinks the biggest difference between his game and his brother’s lies, Dash didn’t hesitate to speak with confidence about why he thinks he could be better, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

“I think I’m just a little bit more smooth with the ball,” Daniels said at adidas Eurocamp. “I think I can handle it a little bit better. You know, see the floor. We’re obviously both pretty good at it, but I shoot the ball a little better as well.”

It’s a subtle answer, but an important one.

Rather than trying to distance himself from the comparisons or explain why their games are vastly different, he embraces the fact that there are some similarities. But he also sees himself as a player capable of creating more offense, making plays off the bounce and expanding his scoring arsenal beyond what his brother has been able to do thus far in the NBA.

And offensive growth has been the primary focus of his development of late and moving forward.

When asked what part of his game he felt he’s improved over the past year in the NBL, defense wasn’t what he brought up. Instead, he pointed toward the offensive areas that he believes can elevate his ceiling.

“Shooting, being able to come off screens, pull up for the three or the mid-range or something like that,” Daniels said. “Just being better with the handle but into the shot as well. So being able to get up into the mid-range, being able to finish through contact, those sort of things.”

That answer aligns with the way many NBA evaluators already view him.

The defensive tools are real. At 6-foot-6 with length and natural instincts, Daniels has already proven that side of the ball will likely translate to the NBA level. With another season in the NBL, if he can break out as a better offensive player who can play on or off the ball, defend multiple positions, facilitate for teammates and score on his own, there’s no question that he could be a top-10 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.

So instead of chasing what his brother has done in the NBA, Daniels is continuing to carve his own path. And when thinking about his long-term goals, he’s most focused on what’s ahead of him now.

Of course, the goal is to be a top-10 pick in the NBA and have a long career, but in the short term, he’s hoping for an NBL championship before turning his focus fully toward the draft.

“Next year, hopefully an NBL championship,” exclaimed Daniels. “That’s what I’m striving for. And then after that, you got the draft coming up, so trying to be that top ten pick.”

From there, he does have some lofty goals for himself.

“Throughout my career, I want to be an All-Star. I want to be a superstar. I want to be a Hall of Famer,” Daniels said at adidas Eurocamp. “The sky’s the limit.”

While Dash will continue to be thought of as the younger brother of Dyson, at least until he’s able to establish himself as an NBA player, their games are different and their paths to the NBA are as well. He’s betting on himself to become his own successful NBA player.