The NBA Draft Combine has come and gone, as dozens of draft hopefuls spent last week in Chicago, trying to show scouts and NBA front offices what they can do. Among them were Michigan products Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin, as well as UAB transfer and Wolverine commit Yaxel Lendeborg. In ESPN's latest two-round projection, reflecting results and intel at the NBA Combine, all three were projected to be drafted.
Leading the way was Danny Wolf. After two strong seasons at Yale, Wolf moved from the '5' to the '4' in his transfer to Michigan, and put together a unique season for a player his size. For the Wolverines and against a top-20 strength of schedule, he averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, becoming the first high-major 7-footer to average 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists per game in at least 15 years.
ESPN's analyst team projected Wolf to go 17th overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the Combine, and still predicts him in that spot.
"This pick figures to be a best-available situation for the team that holds the league's least future draft capital, with the Wolves also holding the No. 31 pick as a useful asset," ESPN wrote. "The two picks create a nice opportunity for Minnesota to find value and get younger around three-time All-Star Anthony Edwards. Wolf's mix of perimeter functionality, passing and interior size (he measured at 6-10½ barefoot, putting him close to 7 feet in shoes with a 7-2¼ wingspan) makes him an intriguing player for creative teams. With Julius Randle and Naz Reid holding player options for next season, adding a younger forward in Wolf to the mix would be an interesting consideration as the Timberwolves sift through their options."
Also going in ESPN's first round was Yaxel Lendeborg, who has committed to transfer to the Wolverines from Alabama-Birmingham. At 6-foot-9, the forward averaged 17.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 blocks per game last season, and was the only Division-I player to match those statistical totals last season.
His combination of length, ball skills and defensive versatility make him compelling prospect — and also make him 247Sports' No. 1 transfer portal prospect in this year's cycle — but the strength of competition he faced causes some hesitation among NBA teams over high-major prospects.
Lendeborg impressed while in Chicago, showing off a 7-foot-4 wingspan and making his mark in 5-on-5 scrimmage sessions, but ESPN and other publications wonder if Lendeborg can climb into the top 20 — where Lendeborg himself said he wants to end up — without a full season with a high-major program under his belt.
ESPN projected Lendeborg to go No. 26 overall to the Brooklyn Nets, up just three spots from before the Combine, and seeming to forecast Lendeborg to ultimately withdraw from the draft by the May 28 deadline.
"Lendeborg faced one of the highest-profile, stay-or-go decisions among prospects at the combine, measuring quite well and turning in a solid, if not spectacular, showing in scrimmages, with Michigan coach Dusty May and members of his staff in Chicago to support him," ESPN wrote. "NBA teams are aware Lendeborg has a multimillion-dollar NIL package to attend Michigan next season, and it wasn't clear by the end of the week as to whether he had done enough to secure the type of guarantee that might keep him in the draft.
"He was highly productive last season at UAB and will step into a huge role with the Wolverines as the ostensible replacement for Wolf, giving him an opportunity to improve his draft stock if he withdraws now."
Rounding out the Michigan representation in the draft was Vlad Goldin, whom ESPN projected to go 55th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers, up two spots from before the Combine. Goldin was Michigan's most consistent scorer for the Wolverines this past season, finishing with 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game as a fifth-year senior. A reliable scorer, 7-foot-1 big man and as a player who has expanded his game each season, and even teased some 3-point shooting this past season, Goldin could sell teams as a high-floor big man option in the second round, as ESPN predicts.
The 2025 NBA Draft will take place June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.