What Danny Wolf’s Rookie Season Could Look Like with the Brooklyn Nets

Danny Wolf is a unicorn. He proved so last season at Michigan, where Wolf displayed his ability to score, pass and rebound all at extremely high levels. He has a unique skill set that could be extremely difficult to stop at the NBA level, assuming he develops and adjusts accordingly.

While the potential is obvious, it seems unlikely Wolf will be able to put everything together in his first professional campaign—if he even gets the chance to. Strictly off seniority, Wolf will likely start the 2025-26 regular season behind the likes of Nic Claxton, Day'Ron Sharpe, Noah Clowney and even potentially Drew Timme.

At best, Wolf should be expected to have a limited yet impactful role. He may not see the court much at first, but amid the bulk of the regular season, he should be getting at least 10 minutes per game. If he's able to prove himself as a capable rotational piece, that number could rise to as much as 15.

A perfectly fine goal for year one of Wolf's career would be a stat line that mirrors something like the following at the bare minimum:

Danny Wolf 2025-26 Season Stats: 10-15 minutes per game (MPG), 4-5 points per game (PPG), 3-4 rebounds per game (RPG), 1-1.5 assists per game (APG).

The assist category is the one where the bar is set the lowest, as it will take Wolf time to adjust to the speed and style of the NBA game. The scoring will eventually come, and rebounding—which Wolf excels at—is pure technique and desire. Plus, he'll have Claxton and Sharpe to serve as mentors, pushing him in training camp and at practice to make the 21-year-old a better rebounder than he already is.

Wolf's projected numbers may seem low, which they are, but it's for good reason. The Nets have five rookies they need to get on the floor this season, on top of the other offseason additions like Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann and Haywood Highsmith (assuming the latter two aren't eventually traded), which is no small task.

The coaching staff will have its hands full building a rotation because so many guys deserve the shot. But Fernandez typically only ran a nine-man rotation last season. 10 under special circumstances.

If Wolf can manage to become one of those nine (or 10), anticipate the basic statistics to lie about his production until he further hones in his all-around skills.