Analyzing Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin’s NBA futures; impact on Michigan basketball

Goldin has the skills required to play in today’s small ball NBA game. At 7-foot-1 and 250-pounds he can patrol the paint and defend the rim. However, the NBA game is no longer built around a back to the basket post up center. While Goldin has shown flashes in his ability to stretch the floor out to the 3-point range, they have been flashes and he never showed a consistent ability to affect the game with his range. He projects as a second-round pick and I would tend to agree with that assessment. He could become a more solid rebounder, and his length will help a team defensively. While he will never be a top three scoring option, he can use his wide frame to set effective picks, and if he continues to work on his jumper, his pick and pop game could be effective.

“Goldin’s college career and continued development have been impressive, and he’s had a great season at Michigan. However, as more teams warm back up to playing true bigs instead of fully committing to small ball, his long-term NBA pathway is still hard to project.”Matt Babcock, NBA Draft Analyst

2. Danny Wolf

Wolf has been a conundrum to me all season. At times he looked like a lock NBA Lottery pick, taking over games, rebounding, throwing incredible passes, and scoring at will in a variety of ways. Other times he almost seemed disinterested in the game, threw terrible passes that led to costly turnovers, and his defense was a liability too often. I truly believe that he would benefit from one more year at Michigan. One more year to hone his body, work on his foot speed, become more lethal from 3-point range, and become a better defender. But when the NBA draft experts have you slotted anywhere from a late lottery pick to a mid-range first rounder, that generally means you are going. I think Wolf could become a decent 6th man, but I believe that his career will have a slow start, and he may be one of those project first-round picks that bounces between the league and the g-League until he adjusts to the speed of the NBA game.

” The potential of having a center who can run up and down the court and push the pace like a point guard, knock down shots from anywhere and still be a threat on the glass is tantalizing… But despite all that upside, if not given the time to continue to develop his game and grow as a facilitator and overall player, Wolf’s career may never hit that possible peak… He is still extremely raw as a prospect, especially with him still coming into his own with a brand-new role… The ability to react to high tension situations, ball security and working around the lack of opportunities he’ll get in the offense at the next level are things Wolf will have to understand and improve upon to become the best version of himself… But if he can accomplish these things, the team that gets their hands on him in the late first round to early second round may have a future facilitating center out of the high post in the making”Isaiah Maldonado, NBA Draft Analyst

Regardless of their futures, both of these young men were integral in turning around a Michigan basketball program that had sunk to lows some fans had never experienced. They will forever be Michigan Men and their accomplishments will be celebrated for years at Crisler Center. They leave as Big Ten Tournament champions, All-Big Ten caliber performers and with the knowledge that they helped to reset a national program. Not too bad for being around one year.