Danny Wolf wondered when he would get noticed, envying the scholarship offers his older brother, Jake, received. Danny was a 6-foot-3 high school freshman who would wait another two years for his life-changing growth spurt.
As a freshman at Yale, Wolf averaged seven minutes per game. At Michigan, the diehard Wolverines fan finished his collegiate career under Dusty May, years after rejecting Juwan Howard’s offer to be a walk-on.
Patience is part of the package.
“Obviously, in the NBA there’s going to be times, especially early in your career, that you might not be in the rotation,” Wolf said following Wednesday’s win over the Hornets. “That was the case when we started the year and everyone emphasizes and preaches you got to be ready, and you hear it over and over, ‘Just make sure you’re doing all your work, doing all your things to make sure that when your number gets called, you’re ready.’ And I tried taking advantage of all the time I had.”
Wolf, who didn’t play in five of the team’s first seven games this season, was on track for another DNP after sitting out the entire first half against Charlotte on Wednesday, but the 22-year-old made a strong case for a place in the rotation in the second half, helping the Nets to victory with 12 points (4-for-6 from the field, including 2-for-4 on 3-pointers), five rebounds, three assists, no turnovers and a plus-17 rating.
After Noah Clowney left the game with right knee soreness, Wolf entered early in the third quarter with the Nets (2-6) trailing by nine.
Three minutes later, Brooklyn had retaken the lead with an 11-0 run, featuring two assists and a 3-pointer by Wolf.
The 6-foot-11 forward entered again with the score tied at the start of the fourth quarter and played the final 12 minutes — along with fellow little-used reserve Terance Mann — of the 114-104 win.
“Danny coming in and contributing right away, that takes a lot of readiness and a lot of discipline to not play for so many games, come in in the second half and to contribute the way he did,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “I mean, I always thought Danny was a special player, and I’ve said that since he got here. I think he could do so many things on the basketball court, and I’m really happy that he got the opportunity.
“Honestly, I was just proud of Danny. … There’s not enough words I can say for a young guy who hasn’t played (much) the first six or seven games and then to come in and play in pretty much just the second half and do what he did.”
Wolf, who appeared in 57 games as a rookie, is shooting a team-best 60 percent from the field and 58.3 percent on 3-pointers in three games — averaging 9.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in just 15.3 minutes. His per 36-minute averages rank third on the Nets in scoring (21.9), second in rebounds (10.2) and fourth in assists (4.7).
“Our offensive identity is supposed to be playing fast,” Wolf said. “I think there’s times, just with my play style, that I can really help us push the ball up the floor, make simple passes to start the break.
“Basketball’s fun that way. It’s how it’s supposed to be played.”