NBA quantity eight draft choose Bendigo’s Dyson Daniels scooped up by New Orleans Pelicans

Australian basketball participant Dyson Daniels was drafted into the NBA because the New Orleans Pelicans picked him for eighth.

The 19-year-old from Bendigo in central Victoria has spent many of the previous yr within the US enjoying for the NBA growth crew G League Ignite.

In that point he averaged 11.9 factors, 7.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and three turns per recreation.

With a wingspan of 6’11”, Daniels has also been praised for his versatility for playing multiple positions on and off the ball, as well as for his solid defense.

Ben McCauley coached him in the junior ranks and said he has always shown a fierce determination to get better, even when he was a regular starter for the Bendigo Braves U12 team.

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Fast rise for 19 yr outdated

Daniels made his Australian debut in the FIBA ​​Asia Cup qualifiers in February 2021.

He also won the silver when he played for Victoria at the Australian U-20 Championships in May last year.

He joined the NBA Academy in Canberra in August 2018.

But his rise to the best basketball league in the world has been relatively rapid and somewhat unconventional.

Instead of going to college, Daniels moved to the United States to play for the new NBA development team G League Ignite.

His former coaches and friends say his ability to create magic with the pass and be a playmaker is a cherry above his powers.

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Inspiration for rural youngsters

Australian opal star, Tess Madgen, said hard work is the key ingredient to Daniels, as is all professional athletes.

“By no means be completely happy settling in,” she said.

“I do not suppose he is going to try this in any approach. He will maintain pushing and pushing to be one of the best that he might be.”

She praised Bendigo Braves for the opportunities they provided their players.

“The Braves are an excellent membership and group and so they actually have the pathways for individuals to develop into what they need to develop into,” she said.

“The coaches are elite and the facilities are amazing.

Basketball followers in Bendigo hope it’ll assist them entice extra younger gamers.