Tobi Lawal is a jaw-dropping leaper who is in the middle of trying to refine his skillset in a transition from being an undersized 5-man to a big wing. Lawal played at VCU for two years before transferring into the ACC to hoop at Virginia Tech.
About
Lawal notched a 45.5-inch max vertical leap, which rated No. 1 at the NBA Draft Combine.
Lawal ranked sixth in the ACC in double-doubles last season.
A London, England native who came to the United States for prep school before kickstarting his college career.
Strengths
One of the best vertical athletes in this draft class. Lawal can stick his nose on the rim with pogo-stick bounce. He notched 42 dunks in just 23 games last season and profiles as a helpful jumbo-wing defender.
Lawal is going to be an asset on the glass. He is not afraid to stick his face in the fan on the offensive or defensive glass. Lawal has been one of the best per-minute rebounders in the country for four-straight years. He ranked in the top-five in the ACC in defensive rebound percentage in back-to-back seasons. That’s where his athleticism shows up the most.
Lawal plays confrontational basketball. You have to box him out religiously, and he is a handful to defend without fouling. He drew a foul on over 26% of his 49 drives. When he plays 0.5-second basketball, Lawal is a handful to defend.
Weaknesses
The skillset is a major question. He’s shape-shifted from a small-ball 5 to a jumbo wing, who strictly plays off the ball. But the jumper is very streaky. He shot just 25% from downtown on 2.1 attempts last season. When he makes a couple, his ability to drive long closeouts becomes terrifying, but very few defenses respected his J.
The feel for the game is still very much a work in progress even after four years of college basketball. Lawal is tunnel-visioned on drives. It’s either a shot, turnover or a foul. He struggles to operate as a secondary creator. Lawal notched multiple assists in just 10 of 116 career games.
Lawal shot just 53% on layups. What does that look like against bigger and stronger NBA athletes?
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