Gone in 14 minutes: McDaniel’s season that wasn't

Brisbane’s Sam McDaniel was locked in and ready to own NBL25.

Just 14 minutes into his campaign, a shoulder injury brought everything to a grinding halt.

“At that moment I knew it was time for surgery,” McDaniel said on NBL Now.

“It had been weak for years now and judging by everything that the physios had told me the first time it happened, I knew then that my season was unfortunately over.”

Over the last seven years, McDaniel had found himself growing from a role player, just fighting into a Melbourne United rotation in 2019, to one of the best wing defenders in the league during his first season at Brisbane in 2024.

Looking back now, the injury to his shoulder was something he feared was a long time coming.

“At the end of the NBL1 season, I dislocated my shoulder and it was a pretty bad one,” McDaniel said.

“It was dislocated for a couple of hours actually. But I ended up having that fixed. I didn’t get surgery, I just rehabbed it.

“So, I played that first game (of the NBL season) and was feeling really good, then following week at practice ... it got caught and popped out again.”

The physical setback was tough, but the mental toll was tougher - McDaniel’s using both to power his return.

“I kind of just sat with it for a little while and let myself be upset and sad,” he said. “Because this is the longest I’ve ever been out of basketball.”

“I found a lot of comfort in saying, 'you know what, it does suck'. There’s no pushing past that.

“Then after I had a little pity party for myself, that’s when I felt like I could move on, get into the rehab and really smash it.”

That rehab was long and tedious as he sat back and watched his Bullets team battle injuries and inconsistent form, ultimately falling short of a post-season berth.

“Sitting on the sideline and doing the same old exercises every single day ... it sparked something within me,” McDaniel added.

“It just made me so grateful to be able to play basketball for a living.

“To do what I love and to have it taken away for even that six-month period ... I told myself I’m never going to take this for granted again.”

Now that he's back healthy and getting back to his best through the NBL1 North, McDaniel's excited about what he can bring to a new-look Brisbane team.

When you're one of the best defenders in the game, there's one matchup that stands out.

“It’s always Bryce (Cotton),” McDaniel said with a smile.

“Because he’s obviously really good one-on-one, he can get to his spot whenever he wants

“But it’s all actions for him as well, he’s coming up off screens, off on-balls, turnouts ... there’s just so many wrinkles for him.”