Michigan forward Danny Wolf taken by Brooklyn Nets in 2025 NBA Draft

Michigan Wolverines 7-footer Danny Wolf was selected by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night at pick No. 27 overall.

“He’s really a point center — a ball-handler and an initiator of offense,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said on the broadcast. “You don’t say this very often about a seven-footer, but he’s a pick-and-roll ball-handler. He operated in pick-and-roll situations with Vlad Goldin, who transferred in to Michigan. But working with Vlad Goldin, I don’t think I’ve ever seen in college two seven-footers run pick and rolls with each other, but it was really successful under Dusty May.

“He had 15 double-doubles on the season. That was third in the Big Ten only to Derik Queen and Julian Reese. He averaged close to 10 rebounds a game, 2.5 of them offensive. But he’s very, very skilled, an excellent rebounder and a very creative passer that can be a facilitator.

“Where he’s really effective is as a passer. Now, he did turn it over a fair amount. He had 120 turnovers — that was seventh-most in the NCAA. But he delivered a lot, as well. Really good footwork, just an excellent basketball player that knows how to play. The only thing is he’s not an elite NBA athlete, but he gets a lot of things done out on the floor.”

The Ringer had Wolf as its No. 13 overall prospect heading into the draft, noting his ability to play on the ball but with his share of concerns, too.

“The idea of Danny Wolf is tantalizing,” J Kyle Mann wrote of the Michigan big man. “He’s a true 7-footer who looks immensely comfortable facing the basket and directing traffic not only from the elbows, but from beyond the arc as well. It’s the kind of game that was built for social-media highlights. But questions bubble up in the spaces in between those highlights.

“Wolf has exemplary feet for his size and he uses them well to offset his mostly ground-bound existence. On offense, he can toggle between facing up with a live dribble and either putting bigger defenders in a blender with a couple of separating moves or reverse-pivoting into a back-to-the-basket approach against smaller players.

“We’ve also seen some impressive stuff in one-on-one situations—crossovers that end in soft, high-glass touch finishes or (shaky but effective) in-and-outs that end in splashed stepback 3s. Hit shot mechanics are smooth, but he hasn’t been a prolific or even accurate threat beyond the arc. Combine that with a career 64.6 percent average at the foul line and his future as an NBA shooter looks more like a wager.”

Wolf’s gamble to come to Michigan paid off. He played in and started all 37 games last season in Ann Arbor, averaging 13.2 points per game and a Big Ten-best 9.7 rebounds per night, along with 3.6 assists. His play last season earned him All-Big Ten second team honors from the media and coaches, and first team honors by the Associated Press. Wolf also made the All-Big Ten Tournament team for his role in the team’s conference tourney championship. He joined the program out of the transfer portal last offseason after two years at Yale, where he played in 53 games with 31 starts and earned All-Ivy league first-team honors in 2024.

Head coach Dusty May’s vision for Wolf saw him playing on the floor most of the time with another 7-footer in Vladislav Goldin, another Michigan draft hopeful. There were concerns about how that would work, but the two thrived together en route to a 27-10 season and trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

“First of all, when I left Yale, I didn’t know what my basketball future held,” Wolf said. “I knew I wanted to be at this level. Obviously, in the back of my min,d I’d grown up a big Michigan fan and sported a ton of Michigan clothes. After their Final Fours, all I wanted for my birthday was signed basketballs.

“I have so much respect and gratitude for my coaches for allowing me to come here. It was arguably the greatest year of my life, and I made so many amazing relationships. I met my brothers for life, and we had an unbelievable locker room. We stuck with each other through the ups and downs.

“It sucks to see it cut short, but yeah, this last year has been the greatest in my life. I have to thank the coaches and my teammates for that.”