Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf is walking into year two with a bigger role in sight, and he knows exactly where he wants the next jump to come from.
After summer league practice on Tuesday, Wolf laid out the areas he’s attacked this offseason as the Nets ask more from their second-year players during this rebuild. That group includes Wolf, Egor Demin, Drake Powell, and Ben Saraf, all of whom will take part in both summer leagues and try to show the work they’ve put in.
"Yeah, I think when you look at the summer, you obviously want to improve your entire game; but there's definitely a few things, especially early on, that you really want to focus on," Wolf said to the media after summer league practice in Tuesday.
For Wolf, the checklist starts with the physical side. He pointed to getting stronger, getting quicker, and getting his ankle right. That work, he said, has already changed how he feels on the floor.
"I'd say some of the things, starting with my body getting stronger or getting quicker, getting my ankle right. Just even playing now, I've never felt more in control or on balance or stronger," Wolf continued.
"And then with that, I would say my finishing. And then just my three point consistency.
And I think I'm shooting the best I've shot it, and I feel like I'm finishing the best I've finished."
Wolf, 22, is coming off a rookie year in which he averaged 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 40.5% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range. Most of his first NBA season came as Noah Clowney’s backup at power forward, though he also logged time at center when Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe were unavailable.
That role could shift again now that Claxton has been traded to the Chicago Bulls in the deal that sent Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle to Brooklyn. With that move, Wolf may see even more minutes in the middle, even if the team is still sorting out whether he fits best at center or power forward.
Either way, Wolf will get a chance to show what he can do at both spots in the California Classic and the Las Vegas Summer League.
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