Wolf Impresses off Bench in Nets’ Win Over Hornets

Danny Wolf had his best game of the season for the Brooklyn Nets in their second win against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

Wolf came off the bench and played all 19 minutes in the second half. He finished with 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting (2-for-4 from three), five rebounds and three assists.

Brooklyn's 2025 first-round pick finally showed signs of promise. The 6-foot-11 stretched the floor and kept the offense flowing, making simple reads to his teammates.

Fernández felt comfortable closing the game with Wolf over Julius Randle. He praised Randle's leadership for empowering Wolf's unit, as they had the hot hand and wanted his coach to let them ride.

The 22-year-old's floor spacing is a sight to see for the Nets. Both his makes came from the right wing: one assisted by Randle and the other from Terance Mann, trailing him in the fast break for a transition three.

Three-point shooting has been a weakness for the bench group. Chaney Johnson, Keon Ellis and Noah Clowney shot 4-for-23 from downtown in the previous three games.

Their inability to shoot shrinks the floor and clogs driving lanes for Randle and Nolan Traoré.

Wolf is blazing from beyond the arc, shooting 62.5% in three games. It's a small sample, but if he keeps proving he's an efficient floor spacer, then Fernández could insert him into the rotation.

Brooklyn's youth has created a logjam on the roster. Wolf, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Josh Minott have been squeezed out of the rotation and receive spare minutes.

The team assigned the 6-foot-11 forward to the Long Island Nets, their G League affiliate, last Tuesday. While Brooklyn recalled him the following day, the move signaled Wolf was on the outside looking in.

His impressive performance puts him on Fernández's radar. Brooklyn's coach isn't shy to make rotation shifts, evidenced by inserting Traoré into the starting lineup over Ellis.

Wolf isn't starting over Randle or Michael Porter Jr., but he's shaping into a quality bench piece.

The Nets' future looked bleak when the Flatbush Five struggled. General manager Sean Marks drafted five first-round picks in 2025, and two have developed into contributors: Egor Dëmin and Traoré.

Brooklyn's 27th pick was behind schedule. He impressed in summer league, averaging 11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists, but struggled in three preseason games.

Wolf's journey has been rocky, but he's on the rise. He could see more time against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.