DeAndre Daniels


DeAndre Martise Daniels is an American professional basketball player for KTP Basket of the Korisliiga. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies, and won a national championship in 2014. Daniels was a key player for the Uconn Huskies' 2013–14 NCAA championship team, as he made the 2014 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team.
A 6'9" small forward from Los Angeles, Daniels surprised recruiting experts by choosing defending champion Connecticut out of IMG Academy – despite never visiting the East Coast school. Daniels stuck with the Huskies even after the school was declared ineligible for the postseason in 2012–13 due to poor Academic Progress Rate performance. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 37th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

High school career

Daniels attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California before completing a post graduate year at IMG Academy in 2010–11. Daniels originally had committed to the University of Texas, but decommitted and committed to the University of Connecticut.
Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Daniels was listed as the No. 3 small forward and the No. 10 player in the nation in 2011.

College career

As a freshman in 2011–12, Daniels averaged 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game as a part-time starter. In his sophomore season, he started every game and raised his averages to 12.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as the Huskies sat out their postseason ban. In his junior season, he again improved his production to 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds. Daniels played a key role in getting the Huskies to the 2014 NCAA Final Four. He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament East Region Team and then recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds in leading the Huskies past the top overall seed Florida Gators in the national semi-final.
On April 25, 2014, Daniels declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.

Professional career

Perth Wildcats (2014–2015)

On June 26, 2014, Daniels was selected with the 37th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors. He later joined the Raptors for the 2014 NBA Summer League where he averaged 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in five games.
On August 14, 2014, Daniels signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2014–15 NBL season. DeAndre Daniels made his debut for the Wildcats in the team's season opening loss to the New Zealand Breakers, recording 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist. On December 2, he was named Player of the Week for Round 8 after scoring a then season-high 22 points against the Cairns Taipans on November 28.
On February 15, 2015, Daniels tied a season high with 24 points in a double overtime loss to the New Zealand Breakers. A week later, in the regular season finale against the Townsville Crocodiles, Daniels had one of his best games of the season with another 24-point game, including six triples, plus 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists. Finishing fourth on the ladder with a 16–12 win/loss record, the Wildcats faced the first-placed Cairns Taipans in the best-of-three semi-finals, a series they lost 2–0. In 30 games for the Wildcats, Daniels averaged 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. His 232 total rebounds led the league in that category.

Raptors 905 (2015–2016)

In May 2015, Daniels returned to Toronto to begin training with the hopes of joining the Raptors in 2015–16. However, a Jones fracture suffered in his right foot in early July delayed his off-season preparation and forced him out of the 2015 NBA Summer League and the first half of the 2015–16 season. On January 5, 2016, he was acquired by Raptors 905, Toronto's D-League affiliate. He made his long-awaited D-League debut on March 12 against the Iowa Energy, recording two points, six rebounds and one assist. He appeared in eight games and made five starts for the Raptors 905 to finish the season.
In July 2016, Daniels re-joined the Toronto Raptors for the 2016 NBA Summer League.

Europe (2016–2017)

On September 12, 2016, Daniels signed with Dinamica Mantova of the Italian Serie A2 Citroën. In 35 games for Mantova, he averaged 13.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
In July 2017, Daniels joined the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2017 NBA Summer League.

NBA G League (2017–2019)

In October 2017, Daniels joined the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. He played with the BayHawks appearing in three games. On December 8, he was acquired by the Maine Red Claws, On January 23, 2018, he was acquired by the Agua Caliente Clippers to finish the season. On February 5, 2019, he was traded from the Clippers to the Texas Legends playing out the remainder of their season.

Return to Europe (2019–present)

On September 17, 2019, he has signed with KTP Basket of the Korisliiga.

Career statistics

Personal

Daniels is the son of Laron Daniels and Kiljuana Thorpe. He has a son born September 2018.