Every NBL pre-season, there is plenty of attention on players around the league who could take the next step in their professional basketball journey.

A breakout can happen in different ways. For some players, it’s getting more opportunity. For an established player, it can mean building on what they have already achieved and elevating their game to another level. For others, it may simply take a new home where their skills can be maximised.

Below are four players who I think are ready to break out in NBL27.

Dash Daniels

Dash Daniels enters NBL27 as one of the most intriguing players in the league.

In his first professional season with Melbourne United, Daniels showed flashes of the defensive prowess he was highly touted for; however, his offence remained a work in progress. His offensive limitations were low volume, limited creation, finishing, and free-throw efficiency.

In the off-season, Daniels and Melbourne United mutually agreed to part ways, and he joined cross-town rivals South East Melbourne Phoenix.

On paper, the move looks to be a match made in heaven, with several factors working in Daniels’ favour.

Head coach Josh King’s style of play and the construction of the Phoenix’s roster open up an opportunity for Daniels to see more court time. King also has shown a willingness in the past to give bench players more playing time, which may allow Daniels to play through his mistakes, something he wasn’t able to do at United under Dean Vickerman. Daniels averaged 22.2 minutes during the Blitz, up from his season average (14.3 minutes) last season.

Last season, opponents were willing to live with Daniels’ offensive limitations because he wasn’t yet consistently generating enough offence to punish them

Although that still happened at the Blitz, Daniels continued to take the available shots, a positive sign that his confidence and ability to handle adversity have grown, finishing with 11 points and seven rebounds in a win over the Sydney Kings, before ending with 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists in a victory over the Brisbane Bullets.

If his offensive game catches up to his defensive ability, Daniels will put himself back into the conversation as an NBA prospect off the back of a productive NBL season.

Elijah Pepper

Perth’s Elijah Pepper is coming off a career year for which he was rewarded with a new two-year deal, and there are signs that he could evolve to another level in NBL27.

In his two years with the Wildcats, the 6’4 guard has become an integral piece of coach John Rillie’s system and a regular representative at the international level with the Australian Boomers.

Midway through the last season, Pepper’s offensive responsibilities increased due to injuries to David Duke Jr and Jaron Rillie. From Round 15, Pepper’s scoring average rose from 8.2 to 14.9 points per game. He finished the season overall averaging 10.5 points per game.

Pepper won the 2026 NZNBL MVP, the scoring title, averaged 28.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.9 steals, and led Wellington to the Grand Final. He also scored 32 points with eight threes against Syria, which was the highest-scoring performance by an Australian in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers history.

There are several reasons to believe Elijah Pepper could take a significant step forward this season with Perth going into NBL27.

While the Wildcats are entering the season with much of the same core as last season, the departures of Ben Henshall (Ole Miss – NCAA) and David Duke Jr (Pallacanestro Varese – Italy) open the door for Pepper to take on a greater scoring role.

Combined with natural development, there is also an opportunity to become more efficient, especially with Perth’s announcement of import point guard Brandon Knight. Knight should allow John Rillie to use Pepper more effectively as an off-ball threat.

The biggest question mark surrounding Pepper heading into this season is his shooting efficiency.

In NBL26, the 25-year-old shot 40 per cent from the field and 32 per cent from three, but in his recent stints with the Boomers (47 per cent from the field and 41 per cent from three) and Wellington Saints (52 per cent from the field and 37 per cent from three) in the NZNBL, he showed an improvement in his shooting efficiency, which you hope will translate this season.

If Pepper can carry his improved shooting efficiency into NBL27 while taking on a larger offensive role, he could be in line for a significant jump in production, further cementing his place as one of the best offensive perimeter threats in the league.

Max Mackinnon

Max Mackinnon’s been on a journey since NBL fans last saw him in the league as a development player in NBL22. The Brisbane-born product has spent the last four years at the collegiate level and returns ready to establish himself as a professional.

Mackinnon spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Elon University and made a good first impression, earning Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Year honours. He then transferred to the University of Portland for his junior year, before finishing his senior year at LSU, where he produced his best season: 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

The Bullets are looking to rebuild their stature in the league under head coach Will Weaver after several years of disappointment.

Looking at Brisbane’s roster, Mackinnon should step into a solid role given its need for perimeter shooting and scoring and appears to be in line for the starting shooting guard position. The 6’5 guard should fit in well as a potential third or fourth scoring option alongside Tyrell Harrison and imports Arnas Velička and Nate Hinton.

Mackinnon illustrated that he can handle a high-scoring load, winning Finals MVP at the 2026 Adidas Eurocamp, scoring 21 points in the championship game, before playing with Charlotte at NBA Summer League and signing with the Bullets.

At the Blitz, the 22-year-old finished with an all-round 26-point performance (nine of 14 from the field, four of seven from deep) in a win over the Tasmania JackJumpers, before a 17-point game (seven of 13 from the floor, three of eight from beyond the arc) in a loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

If Mackinnon can translate his scoring ability to the NBL, he should have every opportunity to entrench himself as a reliable NBL contributor and one of the better young Australian guards.

Makuach Maluach

Makuach Maluach took a step forward in NBL26, going from a fringe player to a trusted part of the rotation, starting in 14 of his 38 appearances last season. He also played a significant role in the Sydney Kings playoff run, including a 23-point performance in a closeout victory over Perth.

Maluach’s services were highly sought after following his performances last season, which saw him officially shortlisted for the NBL Most Improved Award after averaging 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds. The Kings were able to retain him on a new two-year deal.

Maluach now has the opportunity to expand and cement his role as a consistent starter as well as his productivity, with the departures of Jaylin Galloway (Cairns Taipans) and Bul Kuol (Adelaide 36ers) in the off-season, opening up even more minutes and touches on the wing.

The 6’5 wing demonstrated throughout the pre-season that he is ready to take on more responsibility consistently, with Brian Goorjian leaning on Maluach as the Kings’ primary defender on opposing perimeter weapons and a reliable threat on the wing.

The absence of Kendric Davis and Xavier Cooks allowed Maluach to demonstrate that he can step up offensively. He finished the NBL Blitz with an average of 16.5 points on highly efficient shooting (59 per cent from the field and 41 per cent from three on six attempts per game) in 18.4 minutes per game.

NBL27 now gives Maluach the opportunity to prove his late-season NBL26 form is sustainable and establish himself as one of the league’s better two-way wings.