Nets’ Danny Wolf reacts to encouraging performance during surprise NBA debut

Brooklyn Nets fans have been pleading with the team to showcase more of their rookies early this season. They got their wish on Friday night. With Egor Demin and Drake Powell already full-time rotation members, rookie Danny Wolf saw his first extended NBA minutes during a 115-103 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Wolf played 13 minutes during the defeat, posting five points, five rebounds and one assist on 0-of-2 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. He finished a team-best +6.

“[It was] great. It’s always good to get an opportunity,” Wolf said. “They say be ready, and I try my best to do that. And it felt great to get out there and have my opportunity and try to do what I could to help the team win. Obviously, we fell short, and that’s what matters. But we’ve got another chance [Saturday] night in Milwaukee.”

Wolf was the only one of the Nets’ NBA-record five rookie first-round picks yet to play extended minutes before Friday.

Nets rookie Danny Wolf cracks rotation during loss to 76ers

The No. 27 pick has spent the last several weeks in the G League, averaging 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists on .481/.333/.778 shooting splits over seven appearances. While Brooklyn was shorthanded on Friday with Michael Porter Jr. sidelined, Wolf said he wasn’t told before the game that he would see his first extended NBA minutes.

“No… I was just waiting, and they say be ready, but you don’t really know what that entails,” he said. “But when I heard name called, I just went out there and just tried doing what I do. Just playing with an open mind and having fun.”

While many have questioned whether Wolf will play power forward or center in the NBA, he played on the wing for most of Friday’s loss. The Nets have a crowded frontcourt rotation featuring Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney.

After a slow start, Wolf looked more comfortable late in the game, pushing the ball in transition and attacking the rim on several drives. Despite concerns about his defensive mobility, he held up well on the wing as Brooklyn trapped and rotated for much of the second half.

“I think in the second half, I felt like my feet were under me a little bit better. I felt more comfortable and poised,” Wolf said. “Towards the end, I finally felt like myself. It’s great to get an opportunity. Whenever I hear my name again, I gotta continue to take advantage of it. That’s how I gotta look at it.”

Danny Wolf said that he was not told he would be playing his first extended NBA minutes tonight:

"I was just waiting, and they say be ready, but you don't really know what that entails… My feet were under me better in the 2nd half. Towards the end, I finally felt like myself." pic.twitter.com/lwlfFaoC2a

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 29, 2025

Egor Demin, who scored 23 points during the second half of Friday’s loss, liked what he saw from his fellow rookie.

“I thought he looked super confident, and I really liked the way he got on the court. As I said, just really confident, really [looking] like he’s been there before,” Demin said of Wolf. “He’s been playing basketball for a while. He’s been in college for a couple of years. So he knows how it is. And I thought he was ready. And he did [have] some impact, for sure.”

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