There were a host of reasons why joining the NBL's Next Stars program made the most sense for Dash Daniels.
The prodigious guard could point to the fact that signing with a professional team permitted him to declare for the draft a year earlier than college would allow, or that practicing with grown men on a consistent basis was the best way to fast track his development. Melbourne United also offers Daniels the opportunity to work with, and learn from, some of the best Australian and Kiwi guards to come through the NBL this generation, in Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding, and Shea Ili, while allowing the 16-year-old to remain in his home state of Victoria.
There was one reason, though, that stood out above the rest.
"Melbourne United, they're just very welcoming," Daniels told ESPN. "They're like a family to me."
"I've been around Hoop City for the past two, three years now, so I'm pretty comfortable with the place and the atmosphere. It's a pretty easy option for me to pick. Being around the trainers, I watch them, I can see their game plan."
It's why United had a head start in the recruitment of Daniels, and were always the favourite if he chose the NBL as his pathway to the NBA.
Daniels isn't a stranger to Cheltenham's Hoop City -- a basketball training facility that also acts as United's home -- working out in the gym over the years, where he slowly became familiar with the team's staff. Daniels' older brother, Dyson -- a rising star with the Atlanta Hawks, and one of the NBA's most effective defenders -- has also been a regular in Hoops City, particularly over the 2024 offseason before and after the Paris Olympics.
So, when the younger Daniels was gauging which NBL team he would sign with as a Next Star, the pre-existing relationship with United head coach Dean Vickerman carried considerable weight.
"I've had a lot of conversations with [Dean] over the last couple of years," Daniels said.
"He seems very intrigued in me, and passionate about what I can do. He thinks the same as me. He thinks I'm gonna join their program and be very comfortable as soon as I join. I have the type of playstyle that's Melbourne United's, so it's gonna be a smooth transition."
When one thinks of the mould of an ideal guard in a Vickerman system, Daniels' traits are what come to mind. He's a big, defensive-minded point guard -- averaging a tournament-high 3.6 steals per game at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul -- who can carry the ball and push the pace.
"The recruitment of Dash has been ongoing for a while now," Vickerman said.
"Once we knew that he had interest in the Next Stars program, we knew it could be a really good fit. We've got a great relationship with the Daniels family, and it's been amazing to see the type of basketball Dyson has been playing.
"It's really exciting to have him join the club. He's really young, but I think his body is certainly ready for the NBL. As a guard that can really defend and live a lot of our qualities, I think he'll be great for us."
The plan is for Daniels to join United in the middle of the 2024-25 NBL season as a training player, where he'll become more accustomed to the United infrastructure. He'll then officially be on United's playing roster ahead of the 2025-26 season, joining New Zealand Breakers wing Karim Lopez as confirmed Next Stars in that class.
"It's very similar to the way I play," Daniels said of the United team he's joining.
"They love to get up and down the court, play defence, a lot of on-ball defence, you've got Delly, you've got Shea Ili... they've got great ball movement and that's what I love to do.
"They're the vets, so they've been there before. Some of them have [been in] the NBA, they've played at those high levels, so I look forward to being taken under their wing and learning from them; it's gonna be very helpful and beneficial to me."
It's impossible to speak about Daniels without mentioning his older brother. It's, in part, because Dyson is in the midst of a breakout season -- averaging 13.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a league-best 3.2 steals per game -- on a Hawks team that's playing attractive basketball. That then bleeds into how one projects the younger Daniels will develop over the next 12 months.
There are obvious similarities to the respective playstyles of the two brothers, with the 6'6 Dash expected to continue growing and reach somewhere closer to Dyson's 6'8 frame.
"We're pretty similar in a lot of ways, in the way we guard the ball -- I love to stay in front -- gamble sometimes in the lanes and, as soon as the offensive player turns their back, I'm gonna steal that thing," the younger Daniels said.
"We're very similar in our defensive ways. Offensively, I like to get downhill a little bit more, I play with the ball in my hands, use more on-ball screens, create for my teammates."
The overarching goal for Daniels is no secret. The Next Stars program is in place to propel young talent to the NBA, and the Bendigo-native and NBA Global Academy product is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Josh Giddey, LaMelo Ball, Alex Sarr, and Ousmane Dieng as lottery picks to come through the NBL as part of the initiative.
The success of those players gave Daniels license to turn down an almost two-million dollar NIL offer to go to college, where he had interest from the likes of Louisville, LSU, and Florida.
"Obviously seeing the guys going through the program, they've had a lot of success," Daniels said.
"I'm trying to make it to the NBA as well, so I think this is gonna be the best option for me to make it to the next big stage."
Daniels is one of the best international prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft class, and ESPN projects him as a potential lottery pick, so it's all eyes toward a one-and-done season with United.
There's also, of course, the prospect of playing a material role in team success in Melbourne. Vickerman wouldn't have recruited Daniels if the veteran coach didn't believe he could actually affect winning, and that's part of the legacy the point guard wants to leave at United.
"[I'm] trying to get that championship for Melbourne United," Daniels said.
"I'm here to win as well, not just develop my game, but also help the team win games and try to get that championship.
"Long term, my dream [is] to play in the NBA. That's been my dream for a long time so, if I get there, that would be amazing. After that, it's just more achievements along the way, so I'll make more goals on the way."