Celtics need to draft new Rondo in 2025 NBA Draft (he's a center)

Michigan big man Danny Wolf will be one of the most intriguing prospects of the 2025 NBA Draft. If a team is enamored with his skill set, he could end up in the lottery. If not, he may very well fall into the Boston Celtics’ range at pick No. 28. And if that becomes the case, he could be a dream.

Wolf’s blend of size and immaculate playmaking makes him a completely unique player (relative to the rest of his draft class). He doesn’t come without concerns, but if Boston is looking to fill a gap at the center position, they’d be hard-pressed to find a guy as offensively skilled as Wolf in this year’s draft.

From flashy passes to bewildering ball-handling, Wolf could turn into a multi-tool center to help the Celtics in the post-Al Horford years.

Celtics NBA Draft watch: Danny Wolf

Wolf is from Glencoe, Illinois, but played his high school ball at Northfield Mount Hermon in Gill, Massachusetts.

The 21-year-old spent this past year with the Wolverines after two seasons at Yale. He was the Ivy League Tournament MVP before transferring, and in his lone season at Michigan, he was named to the 2024-25 All-Big Ten team.

Listed at 6-foot-10 (and a half) based on the NBA’s official combined measurements, Wolf also boasts a 7-foot-2 (and a quarter) wingspan and is 251.8 lbs.

Wolf is such an unusual prospect that the NBA’s website lists him as a small forward/power forward. However, Wolf has the size of a big man and works well out of the low post and in the short roll.

Passing

Passing is far and away Wolf’s most impressive skill, as he averaged 3.6 assists last year (second on the team at Michigan). With flashes of Rajon Rondo-esque passing and the ball-handling to match, watching Wolf lumber around the court before putting the ball on the floor and shredding a defense is an unbelievable experience.

Michigan trusted Wolf to be one of their primary ball-handlers this past season, and he spent most of the year playing alongside a center (primarily Vladislav Goldin). Wolf and Goldin had a phenomenal chemistry, with the latter largely working out of the dunker spot or around the restricted area, waiting for Wolf’s dump-off passes that led to easy dunks.

Wolf’s vision was also a wonder, as his ability to find shooters from the short roll or while working out of the post was miraculous. Cross-court and skip passes flew through the sky as if he had spent a decade as an NBA point guard.

Horford and Luke Kornet are both underrated playmakers, but Wolf’s ability to see the floor would allow the Celtics to take the idea of a ‘passing big’ to a whole new level. With the advantages Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum (when healthy) create in the pick-and-roll, Wolf could have the chance to blossom as one of the most fluid connectors in the league.

That said, Wolf’s place as a primary facilitator within the Wolverines’ offense did cause some turnover problems (relative to other big men). He averaged a team-high 3.2 turnovers per game, but there should be questions regarding how many of those were because he was a lead ball-handler versus his own decision-making.

Should he be handed some keys at the NBA level, those numbers would definitely have to go down. For comparison, Alperen Sengun was at 2.6 turnovers this year, Domantas Sabonis averaged 2.9, and Nikola Jokic coughed up the ball 3.3 times per game. And all of those guys are in much larger roles than the one Wolf should expect to see (barring a monstrous surge up the NBA ranks).

Considering the gap in level of play between the collegiate level and the NBA, Wolf’s 3.2 turnovers in college could raise some eyebrows for evaluators. 

Scoring

Wolf was the Wolverines’ second-leading scorer this past season, behind only Goldin, who was a large beneficiary of the former’s passing genius. The Illinois product averaged 13.2 points to go along with a team-leading 9.7 rebounds.

He’s comfortable scoring in the post, but his jumper also works well for him. With Michigan allowing him to drive their offense for most of the season, Wolf was taking Dirk Nowitzki-type middys, step-back threes, and driving to the basket like the best uncle in the gym at the local YMCA trying to do a Manu Ginobili impersonation. But it worked.

With his size and strength, he’s relatively unbothered by contact down low, and his sneaky athleticism for his size and weight help him battle through more significant blows when trying to score.

Though Wolf only shot 33.6% on 3.1 three-point attempts per game at Michigan, his shot profile may have impacted that number. He was taking a lot of threes off the dribble since he was handling the ball so much. In catch-and-shoot situations, he finished the year with a 53% EFG.

Still, if he wants to continue to stretch the floor in the NBA, he’ll have to hone in on his shot. Wolf’s mechanics are solid. He has a decent release, though it's a bit slow and extends a bit in front of his face rather than propelling upwards.

Potential scoring issues could be a cause for worry for scouts, as Wolf would have to adapt to a much smaller role in the NBA, especially if he were to join the Celtics. However, his size and athleticism could make him a solid scoring option in the pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop. Efficiency concerns may shine through, but with more talent around him last year at Michigan, Wolf’s two-point percentage jumped from 50.6% across his two years at Yale to 56.7%. That’s a great sign.

Defense

This may be the most iffy part of Wolf’s game, though he’s not a poor defender by any means. He’s a big-bodied forward/center who’s adept at timing up blocks in the paint, knowing when to stay grounded, and staying out of foul trouble (only 2.1 fouls per game with the Wolverines).

However, since Wolf spent a lot of time playing in double-big lineups with Goldin, that also means he didn’t have to guard centers for a lot of his time on the court. Instead, Wolf thrived in an off-ball help role, sneaking into the paint to rack up stocks (0.7 steals and 1.4 blocks at Michigan).

Should Wolf fall to the Celtics (or if they traded up to select him), he may be better off in a helper role similar to the one Kristaps Porzingis plays, or how Kornet looked in the New York Knicks series when guarding Josh Hart.

Wolf is capable of guarding the perimeter, largely thanks to the same quickness and quiet athleticism that helps him as a ball-handler, but his size forces some unavoidable problems when taking on smaller guards and skilled wings.

That said, Wolf’s basketball IQ still pops up on the defensive end, as his relative lack of size (for the center position) and limited time guarding bulky bigs is made up for with impressive timing and awareness.

Fit on the Celtics

With the uncertainty surrounding Porzingis’ trade future, Horford’s eventual retirement, and the Celtics potentially getting priced out of re-signing Kornet, a big man will be their top need this offseason.

Wolf would be very capable of stepping in and giving the Celtics minutes next year, but only if they are willing to sift through some of the obvious growing pains he may endure.

Turnover problems and shooting inconsistency jump out as the main hoops Wolf will have to jump through, but his raw passing skills and court-vision with the ball in his hands should push him toward the top of Boston’s wish list.

Even if they don’t see him as a long-term center option, which is very possible given how he played with the Wolverines, his talent prevails.

Whenever a big man (or any player, for that matter) displays the basketball IQ and passing vision that Wolf has so clearly proven to have, he should draw the eyes of every team around the league. And if Horford decided to return, he would be the perfect mentor for a guy like Wolf, who would be looking to solidify his place as a big-man defender in the NBA to complement the rest of his skill set.

If Wolf is available at No. 28, or if he falls far enough for the Celtics to trade up comfortably, he should be toward the top of their big board.