What makes Danny Wolf the most interesting NBA Draft prospect to follow

The NBA Draft stock of Michigan center Danny Wolf is something that came out of nowhere for many. The Yale transfer has gone from a nice piece with an interesting fit on Dusty May’s first roster to the most interesting prospect to follow.

His rise to notability comes thanks to multiple factors, ranging from the obvious jump in competition and exposure, down to his ability to thrive in an unorthodox new role.

The question now for the productive Michigan big man is, can he translate things to the next level? And where can he lead the Wolverines in the meantime?

Breaking down Danny Wolf

Wolf arrived at Michigan as a Top 100 transfer commit, according to On3’s Industry Rankings. His 14.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists at Yale in 2023-24 set the stage for many high-major programs to take a look at the 7-footer’s potential fit.

Despite the college pedigree he developed in the Ivy League, he was not even the top-ranked center in the transfer class, with Vlad Goldin following Dusty May.

Throughout the preseason, speculation swirled about Michigan’s plan to put two centers on the court together, allowing Wolf to expand on his decent three-point shooting and underrated passing ability on the perimeter. Those two skills have come to full display, with Wolf averaging 12.5 points on 37.3% from the 3-point line, upping his assist total to 3.9 per game this season.

Becoming a stretch player with playmaking ability lifted him from the Players to Watch category to a popular second-round prospect quickly this season. While comparisons to Nikola Jokic, Alperen Sengun or even Marc Gasol are a far stretch purely based on his ability to find open teammates, the need to stretch so far shows the lack of similar options available to teams.

In the NBA Draft, rarity is as valuable a skill as any. The market moves with the available of different assets, and when backup bigs are in popular demand there is added value of those boasting stand-out traits.

What lifts Wolf into the first-round conversation for some, and could build further hype over the final months of the season, is his defensive work. While he is never going to be stuck in isolation on the perimeter, the success of Michigan’s two-big lineup suggests an ability to play alongside other centers when needed.

Averaging 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals with an 89.0 defensive rating, the numbers matter far less than the eye test when he closes out on a shooter in the corner or takes on a ball-handler in the pick-and-roll.