2026 NBA draft watch: Aussies keep an eye on
The 2026 NBA draft is only six months away, and here are some Australians who will be looking to surge up the rankings.
The 2025 NBA draft was another moment where Australian basketball announced itself on the world stage. Four Aussies earned selection in the second round, two of whom - Tyrese Proctor and Lachlan Olbrich - have made their debuts and combined for 33 appearances thus far.
Credit: JBC Studios
In 2026, Dash Daniels and Alex Condon will likely be looking to replicate their feats, while coming from two very different pathways on opposite sides of the globe. Daniels opted to stay close to home, joining Melbourne United as an NBL Next Star, while Condon is in his third year of college basketball with the University of Florida.
Dash Daniels (Melbourne United)
Rankings: 29th (The Athletic), 26th (ESPN), 21st (CBS Sports), Unranked in top 30 (Sports Illustrated)
Dash Daniels is a raw but intriguing prospect hoping to follow in the footsteps of his brother Dyson, by earning NBA draft selection this year. The younger Daniels has taken a different route to G League graduate Dyson, opting for a Next Stars contract with local outfit Melbourne United. There were questions as to whether he was ready for NBL-level basketball, but Daniels has handled himself admirably against grown men. With 15 minutes per game across 24 appearances, Daniels has become a regular impact player off the bench for United, who have endured an up-and-down season.
Daniels is averaging 4.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists for United. These numbers don’t jump off the page, but it’s the intangibles and perceived potential that have NBA scouts interested. Daniels stands at 6’5 tall and has a reported 6’10 wingspan, allowing him to defend multiple positions with that length, while also boasting a certain shiftiness with his handle that applies well to the point guard position. His jump shot has always been under the microscope, and a free throw clip of 42.1% - albeit on a sample of 0.8 attempts per game - suggest plenty of work ahead. Nonetheless, Daniels has actually looked promising from downtown, making 42.1% of his three-point looks this season, and with reasonable volume too (1.6 attempts per game).
Like his older brother, Daniels is a noted defender, and that two-way potential will be a point of difference against many of his rivals. In addition to his developing jumper, Daniels isn’t a polished finisher around the hoop just yet, making just 45.6% of his shot attempts inside the arc. He also hasn’t been afforded many opportunities as a floor general this season, given his bench role and United’s push for an NBL title, as such a role on a contending team calls for greater experience. Most outlets have Daniels listed as a late first rounder, although his position is far from secured. He could easily fall to the second round if his playing time dwindles, or alternatively launch himself towards the lottery with impressive performances in workouts.
Alex Condon
Rankings: 44th (The Athletic), 40th (ESPN), Unranked in top 30 (CBS Sports), Unranked in top 30 (Sports Illustrated)
Alex Condon had the option to enter the 2025 NBA draft, where some outlets projected him as a fringe first rounder, but rather decided to run it back with the University of Florida. The 21 year old already made the All-SEC Third Team last year, as an integral member of Florida’s title-winning campaign, and looked poised to hit a new level in 2026. Thus far his numbers have seen considerable growth, with averages of 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Condon is a two-way big man whose defensive impact shows up in the box score, as evidenced by averages of 1.3 blocks and 0.7 steals per game. He predominantly works in the paint, but occasionally flashes a jump shot that will require refinement over time. Condon is shooting 67.4% from the foul line and 16.7% from beyond the arc this season; if he can increase these figures to 80% and 35% respectively, scouts will start to view him as a stretch big.
Florida haven’t quite been able to recreate their success from last season, currently sitting on a 10-5 ranking, although all of their losses have been close contests. Condon is currently projected to be taken in the second round of this year’s draft, but if he can elevate his game in the second half of this season, his stock could easily find upward momentum. NBA scouts will be looking for offensive aggression and signs of a growing shooting range, to match his rebounding intensity and high-effort play on the defensive end.
The 6’11 big man would be unlikely to pass on the NBA draft again, but if he does, the AFL’s Collingwood Magpies may come calling. Collingwood drafted Condon as a Category B rookie in 2023 and have been patiently waiting to mould the Perth native into a star ruckman.
Honourable mentions
Ben Henshall of the Perth Wildcats (NBL) and Oscar Cluff of Purdue University (NCAA Division I) also deserve honourable mentions, but sadly neither player has found much love in mock drafts thus far.
Henshall’s output in the NBL has stalled this season, while Cluff is turning 25 and thus older than the average college senior. The Athletic have ranked Henshall 93rd and Cluff 97th, while ESPN ranked Cluff only, at 94th overall. If either player is to earn an NBA draft selection it will require a Herculean effort in the back end of the 2025-26 season, and their names would likely be called toward the back end of the second round.
Not an Australian, but as a prospect with Australian basketball ties, the 6’8 forward Karim Lopez made headlines when he broke into the New Zealand Breakers’ rotation last season, at the age of just 17. He then entered the 2025-26 NBL season with much hype and was projected as a potential lottery pick.
The well-built NBA hopeful has a professional’s body and scores well inside the arc, where he is managing a 57.6% clip this season. He also averages 1.7 offensive rebounds (out of 5.7 total rebounds), 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, with such numbers reflective of his physicality. Some sources have reported his wingspan to be over seven feet, making him a tantalising prospect on the defensive end.
Like many physically mature prospects in his age bracket, Lopez’s outside shot remains a work in progress. He is hitting three-pointers at a respectable 35.2% this season on 3.1 attempts per game, which is an impressive uptick from 30.8% last year). At the charity stripe he has made 75.7% of his freebies, suggesting there’s room for impreovement in his underlying shooting stroke. If Lopez inches his three point clip towards 40% his value as an NBA perimeter forward would skyrocket, and on his current trajectory that doesn’t seem out of the question.
Lopez’s mock draft rankings in the past month have varied widely, leaving him placed anywhere from late lottery to late first round. Scouts were perhaps looking to see more growth in his counting stats this season, as he only made a small uptick in his scoring average (9.6 → 10.4 points per game), rebound average (4.7 → 5.7 rebounds per game) and assist numbers (1.2 → 1.8 assists per game) since last season, whilst also playing slightly more minutes (22.9 → 24.3 minutes per game). Nonetheless it seems an almost certainty that Lopez will be an NBA draftee this year, and if he can put together a strong pre-draft campaign in workouts with various teams, a lottery berth is still very much possible.