Michigan prospect Danny Wolf discusses 'surreal' journey, Nikola Jokić comparisons, more

CHICAGO — Michigan Wolverines basketball big man prospect Danny Wolf is back home. The truth is, the seven-footer is a much better player now — as he works out at the combine preparing for the NBA Draft — than the last time he competed in the Chicago area, as a sophomore at Lake Forest Academy in Glencoe, Ill.

Wolf’s rise has been meteoric. He wasn’t offered a scholarship to his childhood favorite team, Michigan, under Juwan Howard. While he considered walking on in Ann Arbor, he ultimately decided to head to Yale, where he averaged 7.4 minutes in 21 games as a freshman.

Then came Wolf’s breakout. A member of the Isreal national team at the 2023 FIBA U-20 European Championships in Greece, Wolf led his team with 17.7 points and paced the tournament with 12 rebounds per game. He followed that up with an outstanding year at Yale, before transferring to Michigan — on scholarship after all — and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.

Following a year playing for head man Dusty May, he’s a projected first-round pick ahead of June’s NBA Draft.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Wolf said of his path. “I didn’t really play much in high school. I didn’t play much my first year in college. I kinda had a great last two years, and I hope it’s the start of a great basketball journey.

“But, of course, it’s all learning experiences along the way, and I got invaluable playing experience at Yale and carried that over into Michigan. It’s surreal, to say the least.

“My basketball journey was anything but linear. It was up and down.

“When I tell my guys that I’m working out with in LA pre-draft that I averaged 3 or 4 points in high school, nobody believes me. A lot of the other guys in this room averaged 20 a game in high school and are one-and-dones, and there are other guys who really had to persevere.

“Of course, everyone comes from different backgrounds and situations, and I was lucky to have great coaches along the way to help me develop. I had a great two years at Yale and then an amazing year at Michigan. Super thankful for everyone that helped me get here.”

While Wolf wasn’t on the NBA radar until after his final season at Yale, he always believed reaching the association was attainable.

“I want to say I would’ve called you crazy, but deep down I always knew it was possible,” he noted when asked what he would’ve said if he was told when he was in high school he’d be a projected first-round selection. “Just super appreciative of the position I’m in today. There’s a lot more work to be done, but it’s been an awesome journey thus far.”

A year ago at this time, Wolf was in Chicago for the draft and actually had a meeting with then-new Michigan strength coach Matt Aldred at the Marriott Marquis, which hosts the draft combine. Now, he’s a combine participant.

“I was here a year ago, meeting with my strength coach at Michigan in the weight room on the fourth floor,” Wolf explained. “It was kind of an introductory meeting. I was extremely enamored by all the NBA logos and the guys walking around.

“To be here today, it’s super surreal. I’m super appreciative of all the people that have helped me get here. It’s just a stepping stone in the process, and the start of hopefully a great month getting ready for the draft.”

Danny Wolf on comparisons to premier big men

Wolf’s game is unique. At 6-foot-10 and 1/2 inch barefoot, he has high-level ball-handling and passing skills. Those are traits that used to be rarely seen for someone his size, and players like that are still few and far between, but it’s becoming more common.

“A lot of European big guys, who make the game look super effortless,” Wolf said of who he watches in the NBA. “[Denver Nuggets center Nikola] Jokic, [Houston Rockets center Alperen] Şengün, [Sacramento Kings forward Domantas] Sabonis, to name a few. I try to take bits and pieces from all of them.

Y”ou see in the NBA right now, there are very skilled bigs, and I like to think I can bring that same skill set. There’s so much room to grow and improve and get better at, and that’s what excites me.”

Wolf was asked to compare himself to an NBA player, but he didn’t choose just one, sticking to the three he mentioned.

“A mix of all of those guys,” he said. “I try to take bits and pieces from all of them. They’re some of the best players in the world, and I try to emulate as much as I can some of their stuff.”

The comparisons to Jokic — a three-time NBA MVP and seven-time All-Star — made Wolf laugh a bit. He knows he has a ways to go to reach that level, but the skill sets do have similarities.

“It’s the best player in the world,” Wolf exhaled. “I try to emulate his and other guys’ games, and people just say that I’m a big passer, and that’s what Jokic does. It’s an honor, but we’re talking about the best player in the world.”