After one season with the Michigan Wolverines, Danny Wolf is off to the NBA. He was drafted in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at No. 27 overall by the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.
Starting all 36 games for Michigan in 2024-25, Wolf was the Wolverines’ second-leading scorer, and the leading rebounder in the Big Ten. He averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 33.6 percent from three and 59.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Wolf started his college career at Yale. He got on the radar after Yale won the Ivy League and upset 4-seeded Auburn as a 13-seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
He is far from your traditional 7-footer. Wolf was one of Michigan’s main shot creators, setting up teammates for easy shots, moving the ball with ease and finding unique passing angles with his length and signature side-arm pass.
Very few offenses are led by a 7-foot shot creator, but Wolf’s playmaking ability made the Wolverines a tough cover for every opposing defense. On the other end of the floor, he moved his feet well on switches and proved capable as a help-side defender to protect the paint.
It should be interesting to see how he fits in the NBA. The improved spacing will give him more driving lanes, but he has to cut down on his turnovers. Per Sam Vecenie’s Draft Guide for The Athletic ($), Wolf’s turnover rate of 24 percent last season was higher than everyone in this draft class. He needs to tighten his handle and take fewer risks with his passes.
There’s room for Wolf to improve from the three-point line, but in today’s NBA, versatile bigs are highly coveted. Nearly every team in the NBA utilizes a five-out look these days, and that’s a look Wolf could thrive in. He may have to play next to another forward who can help defensively, but his upside as a scorer and shot creator makes him a very intriguing player.
Would it have been fun to watch Wolf lead Michigan in his senior season and continue to grow as a scorer? Absolutely. But his upside was too good to pass up guaranteed money in the NBA, and his leap on both ends was one of the biggest reasons why Michigan tripled it’s 2023-24 win total, won the Big Ten Tournament and made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
Wolf’s development is a testament to not only his work ethic, but also Michigan’s coaching staff pushing him to be creative and lead offensive sets. By all accounts, his lone season in Ann Arbor is a development victory. Transfer portal players and high school recruits notice leaps in play like that. His development played a big role in Yaxel Lendeborg transferring to Ann Arbor.
We wish Wolf the best of luck in the NBA. He was fun to watch, provided humble and thoughtful answers to the media, and helped make Dusty May’s first season at Michigan a great success.