Michigan basketball: Danny Wolf gets NBA draft first-round projection

Posted by Admin January 9, 2025 Basketball

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It’s no longer just Michigan basketball that knows about Danny Wolf.

The Wolverines’ 7-foot, 250-pound point-forward/center in his first season in Ann Arbor has not only taken the Big Ten by storm, but now insiders at the next level have taken notice.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo and Jonathan Givony released their latest mock 2025 NBA draft and Wolf’s name was included among the first-rounders, with the former Yale transfer pegged to go No. 21 overall to the Dallas Mavericks.

“A versatile big man who can play inside and out would be an interesting addition to the Mavs’ roster,” Givony wrote. “Wolf has helped his standing tremendously since transferring from Yale to Michigan, being tasked with point guard responsibilities despite standing 7 feet. He ranks as one of college basketball’s best pick-and-roll players thanks to his unique ability to see over the top of defenses and deliver pinpoint passes with his impressive feel for the game.”

Wolf had his best game as a Wolverine on the team’s recent West Coast road trip, putting up 21 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks in Saturday’s victory over USC; he was just the third player in more than two decades to put up a stat line with those minimums.

The Glencoe, Illinois, native is averaging a double-double at 12.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, the latter of which is tops in the Big Ten. His 1.7 blocks per game is sixth in the league (teammate Vlad Goldin is tied for fourth at 1.8 per game), but it’s his 3.9 assists per game that has wowed coaches, scouts, and basketball personnel.

In four league games, Wolf is No. 1 in field-goal efficiency (74.4%) and defensive rebounding (28.8%), No. 3 in true shooting percentage (72.4%) and block percentage (10.2%) and No. 5 in assist rate (31.5%) per KenPom.

“Wolf also fills up the box score with rebounds, blocks and steals while scoring efficiently for what appears to be a very good Michigan team,” Givony’s praise of U-M’s forward/center continued. “Continuing to shoot and show off his unique style of play should translate to winning as well as better draft positioning in June.”

The Wolverines didn’t have anybody selected in June’s NBA draft, but they had a pair of first-round picks in 2023: Jett Howard (No. 11, Orlando Magic) and Kobe Bufkin (No. 15, Atlanta Hawks).

Hollywood trip ends on somber note

The Wolverines made it out of Los Angeles just in time.

Michigan defeated UCLA, 94-75, Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion in the Westwood neighborhood; less than 10 miles away, Los Angeles County was (and still is) in the midst of the worst fire in its history.

The Wolverines, who flew out directly after the game and had “zero issues” according to Wywrot, landed in Ann Arbor in the early hours Wednesday. U-M and UCLA seemingly got their game in just in the nick of time. The L.A. Kings’ hockey game vs. the Calgary Flames on Wednesday evening was postponed (as the L.A. Lakers’ Thursday night game against the Charlotte Hornets), while UCLA canceled all undergraduate classes for Thursday and Friday.

Michigan head coach Dusty May said Tuesday night that he was in contact with officials both with the county and at UCLA as the situation was developing, adding those involved were “prepared for anything,” including the possibility of not playing.

“I’ve got friends that live in Palisades, friends near there,” May said. “They were texting to ask if the game was still on. Apparently with the wind going west, we thought the game was still going to go on. But obviously those people are always in the back of your mind with that going on.”

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 180,000 people had been forced to evacuate the region due to multiple fires, with another 200,000 people under evacuation warnings according to USA TODAY.

“It is safe to say the Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” said L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.