Nets Assistant Coach Steve Hetzel Discusses Danny Wolf's Versatility

Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf has been turning heads since getting recalled from the G-League. Jordi Fernandez, his head coach, recently stated that he's playing like he belongs.

Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel echoed a lot of those sentiments, but given Wolf's size, there is an area he'd like the 6-foot-11 forward to improve in.

"Yeah, he's 7-foot and can dribble like a guard," Hetzel said. "He can play pick and roll. He was very, very good at Michigan and playing pick and roll. Now we're starting to see as his confidence grows, we're able to put him in those situations.

"Three, four games ago, we started posting him up and playing out a screening action with him. He provides a lot of different options out on the floor to be able to put them in the post versus mismatches. If teams are switching, put them in pick-and-roll and let them play make. He's another guy that we want to see more of grabbing rebounds and starting our break, getting us more in the open floor."

Wolf came into the league with some question marks about how well his jump shot and overall game would translate at the next level, despite showcasing elite talent during his time at Michigan. However, the Nets felt that his jumper would translate.

"I think that's part of his value when we were evaluating him during the draft processes," Hetzel said. "We felt that he could shoot, and when we watched him, when we had an up-close look at him, as well as pre-draft when we were out in Chicago, we thought he could shoot.

"Everybody's shot is different, so they're not all going to look like Klay Thompson. So mechanically, you could pick apart a lot of guys' different shots, but as long as the ball's going through the net, our philosophy is to let it fly from three. So we're just going to keep asking him to do that."

Wolf's passing ability has helped patch up some of Brooklyn's inconsistent playmaking at the point guard position, especially when he shares the floor with Nic Claxton, who has also improved his playmaking skills.

However, the Nets will certainly benefit with Wolf grabbing more rebounds, as it'll allow them to play smaller, spread the floor with more 3-point shooters or slashing wings, and get the ball ahead of the break to score more points in transition.