Dash Daniels wants you to know something.
It's that the version of the rising guard on show during his first season in the NBL was a mere teaser, and not close to what's to come during the encore.
"I think I've definitely got a lot more in my bag than I've shown," Daniels told ESPN.
"Even last season, I think I had it but never showed it, so being able to get comfortable with myself, and being confident on the court, you'll start seeing those things."
We'll all be seeing it in different colours, though. Daniels is moving down the highway to the South East Melbourne Phoenix -- still as part of the NBL's Next Stars program -- where he'll hope to make his mark ahead of the 2027 NBA Draft.
The Phoenix very quickly became his preferred landing spot once he knew his time at Melbourne United was coming to an end, and Daniels says it was head coach Josh King's energy that played a key role in sealing it. King has become known for his enthusiastic, animated demeanour on the sidelines, which has translated to a pair of successful seasons -- he's made the playoffs in both years at the helm -- and a team that was among the league leaders in both offensive and defensive rating last campaign.
"It's just how hungry he is," Daniels said of King. "A coach that's super hungry, he's out there on the floor with you. He's like a sixth man. Just being able to have him there, feel his energy, and the way he approaches the game, I thought it was the best option for me. It's gonna be fun."
The up-and-in, full-court style of defence the Phoenix deploy is one that's theoretically a natural fit for Daniels, an athletic 6'5 guard who, like his older brother -- Atlanta Hawks' Dyson Daniels -- is regarded as a high-level defender. There's also a free-flowing style of offence, which would be a welcome change after Daniels was stuck in a United system that doesn't encourage a heap of creativity from someone of his experience level.
Daniels averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, starting 11 contests, for United, but is adamant there's orders of magnitude more levels to his game.
To sharpen that toolkit, Daniels spent this off-season getting put through the wringer by former NBA guard Wes Matthews, who made a career out of his on-ball defence and reliable three-point shooting. Each workout would start with ball-handling -- Daniels says he can play on the wing, but sees himself as a guard long-term -- before getting into the nitty gritty of improving his jump-shot.
"He's a very similar player to how I like to play," Daniels said of Matthews.
"That really good, pesky defender, and knocks down the three-ball at a high rate too. I was just learning off him, trying to get that shot consistency, and asking questions on what the league's like, how do I make it, and all those little things.
"The main thing we were working on was the base of my shot. So, being able to move at a high rate and have that consistency with my base. Throughout every single session, I got better and better. I'm looking forward to showing it; Wes was really good."
WATCH: Dash Daniels Signs with South East Melbourne Phoenix
Elevating that offensive game, and showing more of his skill package on that end of the floor, is imperative for Daniels as he eyes the 2027 draft. There seems to be an agreement among NBA personnel who've watched the 18-year-old that the defensive upside is real, and there's an athletic base that can translate; it's just a matter of showing he can provide more, consistent juice on the offensive end.
Daniels is working on "obviously the shot," he says, but then it's layers on top of that.
"Being able to get to the pullup midrange, and knock down the three consistently," Daniels says. "And not only just catch and shoots, but being able to come off screens and pull-up as well. And the ball-handling, which I've been working on this off-season."
He's added to his frame in the process, too, going from around 92kg to 96kg over the off-season, which was a deliberate step toward handling the physicality of grown men in the NBL on a nightly basis. But it's the self-belief -- almost defiance -- underneath all that work that stands out most. To be sure, Daniels has clearly put in the hours to round out the parts of his game and body that needed it, yet he's just as clear that the talent was never really the question.
"I think I had a lot of it, last season as well," Daniels said.
"This season, just having the ball in my hands a little more, being able to come off ball screens, make plays for my team. I think I can do that really well, and I wasn't able to show that last year. This year's gonna be new.
"A new season, new start, so I'm looking forward to being able to show what I can do."
