Dusty May continued his portal invasion on Saturday, when Yale transfer Danny Wolf pledged to the Wolverines. 

Much like Rubin Jones, Yale is scant on legit competition, so I reviewed full game film against their very best opponents in Kansas, Auburn and San Diego State. 

SCOUTING (Offense)

The most projectable facet of Wolf's game is undoubtedly playmaking. He's a superb passer for a big and has the look of an offensive engine in a Delay-centric offense as the trigger-man. A 21.8 assist rate versus top-50 opponents (Torvik) is bonkers considering the talent he is surrounded with. 

With respect to Hunter Dickinson, Danny may very well be the most naturally talented passer/playmaking big (distinct from productive) that has come through Ann Arbor in quite some time. Hunter was phenomenal passing from the post and the top of the key, but he simply wasn't capable of dropping dimes from a live dribble like we see below:

That is legit guard-esque playmaking that isn't just good for the position, it's just downright excellence. 

The playmaking from the post/passing out of doubles is lethal as well. Wolf's processing time is very fast. He literally finds teammates at the precise moment the opposition commits to a legit double rather than simple stunts. That optimizes passing windows and totally manipulates the defense as we see below:  

Danny's ability to excel as a trigger man in structured offense pops-off too. Yale is running Zoom action below (guard entry pass to Wolf at the slot>then corner screen for other guard>DHO to guard receiving the screen). #3 for Yale isn't coming off the screen clean enough for Wolf's liking, so he waits to read the defense. Look at the placement + touch on that pass. In football terms, he's throwing the receiver open. 

[After THE JUMP: the full scouting report]

1 hour and 27 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

• Opener
• Mighty Mites
• Up and Down Seasons
• Good, Not Great

• Hero Line
• New Guy Impacts
• Bottom Six Plus
• Roster Updates

[Player after THE JUMP]

Remember this morning when I said Michigan still needed a power forward?

Walters chose Michigan over Ohio State, Kentucky, and Louisville after a freshman season as Alabama's 7th man. He profiled last year as a straight-up stretch four Just-a-Shooter plus decent defensive rebounding.

Walters came off the bench every game last year, extending his time on the court to ~15 mpg in the latter part of February. However Walters was stymied by classmate Jarin Stevenson also coming off the bench to play the four, and wasn't very efficient (16th percentile to Synergy) in transition for a team that got 38% of their initial shots (to hoop-math) on the run.

What Walters can do is get a shot up over just about anyone. He was 94th percentile to Synergy on *Guarded* catch-and-shoot jumpers at 43%, actually dipping down to 35% (15/43) when uncontested.

His transfer video shows a pogo-stick with a clean release and not a lot of meat on the bones.

Defense is also predicated on that wingspan. It also sounds like he improved a lot over the course of last season. Feet may limit his NBA upside, but Walters's height and length, and a season of SEC experience, should mean he's not a liability on the other end. On a team filled with creators, adding a floor-spacer like Walters should mean Michigan can score with anybody. Adding a sophomore should also mean Dusty May isn't forced to go portal hunting like this again in two years.

Matt D will have a much more thorough breakdown after he sorts through the rest of this weekend's commitapalooza. Here's what the roster roster looks like:

PG: Tre Donaldson (Jr), Durral Brooks (Fr), [Lorenzo Cason (Fr)]
SG: Roddy Gayle (Jr), George Washington III (So), Justin Pippen (Fr)
Also SG: Rubin Jones (Sr*), [Nimari Burnett (Jr*)], [Jace Howard (Sr*)]
PF: Will Tschetter (Jr), Sam Walters (So)
C: [Vlad Goldin(Sr*)], Danny Wolf (Jr)

Michigan is now up to nine players committed for 2024-'25, with Vlad Goldin widely expected to join them after he goes through the Draft process. Nimari Burnett and Jace Howard (who can be a walk-on) haven't entered the portal or announced returns. From here they're probably going to keep pursuing 2024 5-star Khani Rooths for a 3/4 role, and/or look to add one or two more guards.