Michigan's Danny Wolf on joining Brooklyn Nets: 'It's a dream come true to be here'

Michigan Wolverines 7-footer Danny Wolf saw an NBA dream realized on Wednesday night when the Brooklyn Nets took him No. 27 overall in the draft.

And as it turns out, it was a place he wanted to be.

Wolf was the fifth of five first round picks the Nets had at their disposal on the first night of the NBA Draft. He said during his introductory press conference that he was fired up to be there.

“My first impression is it’s a dream come true to be here,” Wolf told the Brooklyn media. “Brooklyn is an unbelievable place. It’s one of the best cities in the world. Great front office, great coaching staff. I really like the direction of where we’re going, I can say now.

“I’m just super excited to get to work. It’s an unbelievable opportunity and just excited to be in Brooklyn and call this home.”

The Nets are going through a rebuild and youth movement, but that means the former Michigan star has a chance to get his feet wet early in his career.

“It’s really hard to put into words,” Wolf said. “It’s such a unique, special opportunity, experience. In terms of being in the green room, I didn’t exactly know how long I would have been sitting there for. If you asked me before, I wouldn’t have said this long. But it’s what happened, and it’s out of my control. I ended up in an unbelievable place, and it’s an unbelievable opportunity. Just going to use that as a chip on my shoulder, as a motivating factor.”

Some experts believed that Wolf would go a bit earlier with The Ringer being the highest on his game, ranking him as the No. 13 overall player in the class. The 27th pick was within the projected range in the mock drafts, but the Michigan forward sees it as the beginning of his career no matter where he was taken.

“I don’t think where you’re drafted defines you,” Wolf said. “It’s just the start of getting into the league. It’s kind of been my basketball journey thus far, is just kind of having to go step by step. Was underrecruited out of high school, unranked, so to speak. Yale took a chance on me; didn’t play much. Was there for two years. Went to Michigan and I still don’t think people believed in me. Now I’m here and just have so much to prove and super excited to get to work. But just going to use that as a chip on my shoulder.”

Wolf’s career has been one of growth and development, starting at Yale as an unranked recruit and developing into an All-Ivy League type of player his sophomore season.

“I didn’t play much my freshman year,” Wolf said. “Used that as an opportunity to grow and develop. Coach [James] Jones and his staff believed in me and used that for my sophomore year. Just put my head down and worked. That’s how I got to where I am now. That’s all I know, to work hard.

“Who I am now is nowhere near where I’m going to be at the end of my rookie season. I know that I’ll be able to say that after each season. I have a high belief in myself and confidence. I know what I can become. I’m just going to work hard to do that and attain that and be the best I can be.”

Head coach Dusty May and the Michigan staff took Wolf on last offseason and had a unique vision for him as a point forward type of player in tandem with fellow 7-footer Vladislav Goldin, who hopes to hear his name called in Thursday night’s second round.

He learned at Michigan the importance of keeping an open mind.

“You have to earn whatever role you get, whether that’s ball dominant, whether that’s an off-ball guy,” he said. “It’s up to you to determine what that is, just how you perform and practice. You have to earn the coaches’ trust and belief and confidence in you. I know that’s what I’m going to do from day one.

“Just going to try to earn that as best I can because I know what I can do, whatever that might look like. I’m going to mold to the role, best of my ability. But within that, just kind of keep working until I get what I want.”

Brooklyn’s other picks included BYU guard Egor Demin, French point guard Nolan Traore, North Carolina wing Drake Powell and Israeli point guard Ben Saraf. Wolf being added to the mix with that group is something he is grateful for.

“It’s a blessing,” Wolf said. “You have four other guys you get to share a locker room with that are your class, and you get to learn with and develop with and grow with. Within that, it’s up to you to kind of just be yourself. Do what you do and let the main thing be the main thing. I know that’s been said.

“But I know how I play. I know my strengths. I know my weaknesses. I know what I’m going to work at, and it’s up to me to do that. That’s why they selected me. That’s why they put their belief and trust in me and invested in me. It’s up to me to do with that as I want, and I want great things.”