Rising NBL Next Star Dash Daniels recently made the decision to withdraw from the 2026 NBA Draft and return for the Hungry Jack’s 2026-27 campaign.

The decision by Daniels, who is the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks star Dyson, comes after the 18-year-old wanted to concentrate on improving his game before making the potential jump to the United States.

It’s a decision that is backed by Next Stars Program GM Liam Santamaria.

“I think it's a good decision,” Santamaria said on the recent NBL Next Stars Update Show.

“I'm super-high on Dash, and this is why I was so excited to bring him into the program.

“He had a chance to be like the youngest guy in this 2026 Draft [if he declared].

“He had such a great start to the year last year, and he showed a lot throughout it.

“[Both] he and his camp feel like he could show more, and a second year in the program is going to give him the opportunity to do that.”

On countless occasions, both in a Melbourne United uniform or while playing for Australia, Daniels has shown his defensive exploits.

But a second season, Santamaria says, will allow the Bendigo talent to focus on his ever-improving offensive game.

“We know he's either the or one of the top perimeter defenders in the world for his age,” Santamaria said.

“You look at his trajectory towards the NBA, and those teams have a great feeling that he's going to be able to come in and defend at a high level, even as a first or second-year player in the NBA.

“[The question is] can he show a little bit more of his offensive game?

“I love when he gets into the lane and gets to his float game. I love it when he shoots the ball with confidence.

“Think about that game against the [New Orleans] Pelicans, and he had that one-foot fadeaway. He had his juices flowing there at one point.

“That's the idea for him, so now he is resetting his focus on the 2027 Draft and going to try and put himself in a position to show more and prove to be that first round pick next year that he has the potential to be.”