The 27th pick and last first rounder chosen by the Nets in the 2025 Draft spoke to Brian Lewis about his progress this year. The 6\u201911\u201d, 255-pound Yale and Michigan product was declared out of the season following a sprained ankle on March 22.<\/p>\n
As Lewis noted, Wolf had fallen in the draft due to concerns about his defense and shooting. The final ESPN mock draft of 2025 had him pegged at No. 16. His final numbers were 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds but only 32.2% from deep, not a bad performance for a late first round pick. Indeed, only one player taken after him \u2014 Maxine Reynaud, taken at No. 42 by the Kings, put up better numbers: 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. It can be argued, of course, that Hugo Gonzales, who was taken immediately after him, looked like a better prospect but in the end, the Celtic wing averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds. Knick fans will argue Mohammed Diawara, their 51st pick last year, also had a better year, but his time on the court was limited as well and he finished with averages of 3.6 points and 1.3 rebounds<\/p>\n
That said, Wolf told Lewis he knows where he has to improve, starting with finishing, so to speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefensively, there were definitely a lot of people questioning who I\u2019d be able to guard. I took that as a chip on my shoulder to more than prove, but be a good defender,\u201d said Wolf.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shooting and the offense, it was nowhere near what I know I\u2019m capable of doing and that upsets me. I was able to shoot well at times, and there\u2019d be times where I felt I couldn\u2019t make a shot. That\u2019s a rookie season; there\u2019s going to be ups and downs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The problem was while he often got where he wanted, his ups didn\u2019t translate. His 24-inch standing vertical was tied for third worst at the NBA Draft Combine and it showed. Indeed, his 54% finishing rate put him in the 12th percentile of NBA players.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic [at this level],\u201d said Wolf. \u201cWhat is it that you need to do to be able to match that, but also be better than that?<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of it is getting stronger. And the positive outlook of an injury [is] I\u2019ve been able to really hone in on the weight room more than I would\u2019ve been able to if I was playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, Wolf knows where he\u2019ll be once he gets healthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a good four or five months of weight room ahead of me and just being able to fill out my frame better. That\u2019ll really help me, just getting stronger; and with that, more explosive. And I know my rim finishing next year, I\u2019ll be able to look back on this year and see that it was something that really, really helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jordi Fernandez likes what Wolf has done so far and believes he can get better.<\/p>\n
\u201c[H]e\u2019s done a great job and he\u2019s been able to implement a lot of stuff, power through, because you have better balance, finding a body first. This all comes with a lot of work, watching film and through the summer and then the real reps. So the process [has] already started. He\u2019s already gotten better. We\u2019re not concerned about his finishing. We know it has to get better, but we also know it will get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wolf added that he\u2019s also looking forward to winning.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously losing sucks, and every time you ask anyone, they\u2019re going to give you the same answer that losing is no fun.\u201d Wolf said. \u201cEveryone in the locker room from top to bottom thinks we could\u2019ve had a much better season. But within that, you have to find things you can learn from, that you can gain from.\u201d<\/p>\n