Nets' Danny Wolf speaks on adjusting to on-ball, off-ball NBA role

NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets rookie forward Danny Wolf was one of the more interesting players that the Nets spent a first-round pick on coming out of the 2025 NBA Draft. Wolf had the ball in his hands more than most frontcourt players during his time at Michigan and with Brooklyn using him differently, he had the chance to reflect on what that variation was like.

"I think everything is going to be an adjustment at some point and playing an entirely new style, you’re going to have to learn on the fly. I think as the year went on, there were some things that I got better at," Wolf said during his exit interview on April. Wolf saw more playing time for the Nets as the season went on and while he had the ball in his hands less, he still had the freedom to make some plays at either power forward or center.

"Again, like I just said, there’s a lot of things that I know that I have a very long offseason to kind of work on, and that’s pretty exciting," Wolf continued. "I’m going to be thrown in a lot of different spots and it’s on you to be able to do that to the best of your ability. I think there’s a lot to learn and a lot to improve on."

Wolf, 21, had a solid rookie season as the 27th overall pick as he averaged 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 40.5% from the field and 32.2% from behind the three-point line. Wolf finished his rookie season with a usage rate (metric that measures plays used by a player) of 20.6%, but had a 25.1% usage rate during his three years of college basketball between Yale and Michigan.

With the Nets selecting Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, and in the first round, head coach Jordi Fernandez was trying to give as many reps to the ball-handlers as possible with Wolf factoring into that equation somewhat. Wolf may have more chances to handle the ball moving forward, but for now, he spoke his peace on what playing more off the ball was for someone like him.