2025 NBA Draft Profile- How Would Michigan Forward/Center Danny Wolf Fit With The Atlanta Hawks?

The Atlanta Hawks have been hitting the ground running this offseason and have been in the headlines for making some under-the-radar moves this summer. While everyone has been worried about who will trade for Kevin Durant and the New York Knicks' vacant head coaching position (which they inquired about and were swiftly denied for Atlanta Hawks Head Coach Quin Snyder), the Hawks have been gearing up to build for the future.

NBA Draft prospect Khaman Maluach has been reportedly working out with the Atlanta Hawks, our own Jackson Caudell covered the story:

"Last week, there were multiple reports connecting the Hawks to a possible trade up in the draft, with Duke center Khaman Maluach being the target. According to a new report from NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Hawks have indeed worked out Maluach. The Pelicans and the Wizards were the other teams that had reportedly worked out the Duke product.

If they did move up for Maluach, the fit is obvious. He would form a nice tandem with Onyeka Okongwu and give the Hawks needed interior size and defense. Okongwu is a very good player, but certain matchups are problematic for them and Maluach would help. His offensive game needs to grow, but playing alongside Trae Young would be very beneficial to him. He would be a rim-running threat and lob threat for Young and there is hope that he can develop an outside shot. He is still raw in many aspects, but the ceiling and fit make him an appealing target for Atlanta."

The Hawks, however, have two first-round picks, and while it isn't set in stone who they are picking, what is set in stone is that they need a center or two to fill out the center position. One of the players who would be a good addition to this roster, similar to Maluach, is University of Michigan forward and center Danny Wolf.

Danny Wolf playmaking tape.

A 7’0 point forward with feel, handling & P&R passing skill — 18.9% AST + 1.07 AST/TO. pic.twitter.com/yXC63adzw3
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) May 7, 2025

Let's take a look at Wolf's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths:

Danny Wolf has a center body with guard-like ball handling and playmaking abilities, and his speed around the court is better than most players at his position, making it easy for him to make plays inside the paint or on the perimeter. His seven-foot height gives him the ability to see the court over defenses, along with his accurate passing skills that can make you marvel at him based on his talent to find his teammates in traffic. Wolf's footwork and ability to run pick-and-roll make him a very tough guard on offense for most players. He is among the top of the Big Ten Conference with 9.7 rebounds per game and has shown the ability to be a good help defender and rim protector when inside the paint, using his size to bother shots inside as he averaged one block a game. Wolf can also guard some players on the perimeter, as he averaged one steal per game as a sophomore and has also shown the ability to be a decent shooter for his size, as he shot 33.6% from three-point range this season.

Danny Wolf is incredibly unique in his comfort handling the rock, operating out of ball screens, dotting passes, and drilling stepbacks at nearly 7-foot. The question: how does it translate? His feel, physicality, and fight on the glass should help. https://t.co/sqEj0G5Pse pic.twitter.com/gTIp0u7CDE
— Jacob Myers (@League_Him) June 15, 2025

Weaknesses:

While Wolf has shown the ability to be an overall threat with his complete build and skills, he also has shown at times he can be a bit carefree with the basketball, as he averaged 3.2 turnovers per game this season, which ranks in the top five for most turnovers per game in the Big Ten Conference. Wolf shows flashes of being able to run the pick-and-roll effectively but sometimes can struggle when needing to roll and needs to have the ball in his hands to be most effective, which being in the NBA, a lot of the time teams rely on guards to run the offense not centers, that could likely cause problems for him. His size and strength can still be used against him when guarding specific guards and NBA big men, as well as his struggles with pressure when handling the basketball in the half-court. When put against other big men who are bigger than him, he tends to struggle more and struggles with taking care of the basketball.

Michigan’s Danny Wolf has a glaring issue: Wolf averaging 3.8 turnovers a game with a 29.8% turnover rate is far from ideal with his offense.

You love the handling big creator/initiator upside he brings but he struggles at making secondary reads, hence being a turnover machine.
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) January 17, 2025

Overall:

The Hawks drafting Wolf would be a good draft pick that they could develop into a special type of center to use in a hybrid role. With Trae Young off the court, they could run big lineups or even have him take over as the lead ball handler at specific points, similar to Victor Wembanyama or Moritz Wagner, as well as his ability to shoot, continuing to grow. Alongside Trae Young, he would be a good pick-and-roll partner, as well as a rim protector and sometimes a help-defense type of player. With this Hawks team's size, he could make them a scary matchup. The areas where this pairing could be tricky are that Wolf struggles with taking care of the basketball and needs to have the ball in his hands to run the offense, especially with a player like Young, who also requires the ball be in his hands. Lastly, although this could be an easy fix, Wolf would need to improve his ability to roll to the basket, as Young is known to like throwing lob passes to his big men and often relies on the pick-and-roll action to create separation from defenses.

2025 NBA Draft Profile- How Would Michigan Forward/Center Danny Wolf Fit With The Atlanta Hawks?

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