In very limited minutes, the Nets witnessed more of what they expected from Danny Wolf.
In their preseason opener against Hapoel Jerusalem on Saturday, the No. 27 pick quickly went to work.
His passing chops were on display when he found 19-year-old guard Ben Saraf on a cutoff lane for a layup.
Later, while dribbling at the top of the key, he threw it to Noah Clowney for two points.
Wolf isn’t one to shy away from a playing role, even at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 ¼-inch wingspan, as mentioned at the draft combine.
He knew when to pick his spots by driving to the basket off the dribble.
In just 15 minutes, he led the second unit in assists (five) while also adding five points and five rebounds in the 123-88 win at Barclays Center.
That will hold true for now, as it is not lost on Wolf that improvements need to be made given the two turnovers he had while handling the ball.
“I mean, when the coaches trust me with the ball in my hands, it’s up to me to make a play,” Wolf said after the win. “I think I accelerated a little bit too much a few times and made a few – I made an errant pass and kind of lost the ball on a ball screen. But then coach Jordi [Fernández] Pull me up or tell us to make a play and it breaks down, it’s up to you to make a play, and I’ve tried to do that to the best of my ability. ”
The 21-year-old Michigan product was drafted for his passing and playmaking abilities.
He was the best passing big man in this year’s draft class, and his 4.2 assists per game average with the Wolverines last season was the second-best mark ever for a college player at 7 feet or taller.
Similar numbers will be expected from him as he competes for a spot likely at Power Forward—a position the Nets have struggled to find a long-term solution for in recent years.
The preseason opener was an improvement for Wolf since the Summer League competition.
In his summer debut, Wolf had two assists against four turnovers, along with four points scored.
He excused that performance for nerves and went on to improve in the other two games he played from the five summer games for the Nets.
The Illinois native’s best game came on July 16 against the Magic, scoring 18 points while adding four assists and six rebounds in nearly 27 minutes.
On Saturday, Wolf seemingly turned those nerves into excitement as he played his first game in a Nets jersey at Barclays Center.
“I was taped before the game, and I’m just getting ready to go out, and it’s just – you dream, you literally dream about walking out of the tunnel to an NBA game,” he said. “It’s really cool. Obviously it’s a preseason game, and it’s not against an NBA team, but it’s still, you’re playing in an NBA arena with an NBA team. It’s a pretty cool feeling. It’s a culmination of a lot of feelings, but it’s just the beginning. It’s the first step in a long season and it’s Gotta GoTa GoTa GoTen.”
As the start of the NBA season approaches, Wolf will have to continue to prove his unique value while improving his defense, which was exposed against the non-NBA team from Israel as soon as he stepped onto the court when he took a backdoor exit that let him get it.
He has three more preseason games to prove himself, next Friday against the Suns in what will be the first of two games in China.
“With Danny, he has to play solid every time, play two feet, a few turnovers here,” Fernández said Saturday. “I was happy with both [Wolf and Saraf] – How they have worked so far, the opportunity and taking advantage of their minutes. It was a good first game, and now we’ll have two more in Macao, so I’m excited to see them play. “
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