NBA Comparison: Chris Wilcox

Strengths: A strong, athletic and lengthy 6’9 forward (in shoes), Lawal has been able to use his physical tools to gain the advantage over whoever guards him … He spends the majority of his time in the post, where he is capable of making short turnaround jumpers, and finishing strong around the basket … In regards to his post play, he has the ability to create just enough space for himself to get off a comfortable look … his touch around the rim has seemed to improve, and he has shown signs of being able to use both hands (though limited with the left, but improved) in the paint… His activity level on the interior is very high, as his high motor and athleticism both contribute to his 8.5 rebounds per game, which is impressive considering he plays next to another big rebounder in Derrick Favors … Scores a lot of baskets on put backs… He has a strong frame and an NBA body, and plays physical on both sides of the ball … Does a good job at drawing contact and getting to the line, and he runs the floor well for his size, making it a habit of beating his man down the floor … Defensively his physical play and long wingspan help him contest shots, contributing to his effectiveness defending the post …

Strengths: Lawal is a relentless player in the post with great potential … He is a big time athlete with combination of a great body, huge wingspan (7’0’’) and excellent motor … Has great footwork for a big man and runs the floor extremely hard … Offensively, his game is based on his strength under the basket with putbacks, rebounds and hook shoots (shows solid touch with his right hand) and he does a great job at holding down his position … Good finisher around the rim. If he catches the ball in the post and decides to turn around for a jump-shot, he will most likely try to shoot it off the glass … Likes to play a physical game and is very hard to stop if he caches the ball on the low-post … Has ability to get his defenders in the air and draw fouls … Lawal possesses soft hands and he is very explosive player off the ground when he catches the ball in the paint or going for a rebound … Solid passer inside the post with good vision … Defensively, Lawal does excellent job at holding down his position on the post and using his body … He has great timing for blocking shoots and rebounding the ball (his long arms make him a good rebounder as well) … It’s very difficult to shoot over Lawal due to his long arms, and if he doesn’t block shots he can alter them … Hard working kid with great attitude and effort on the court … Has the type of frame and body that should allow for significantly more weight …

Weaknesses: Right now, Lawal is raw and very limited offensively and needs to work on his low post game (he needs a go-to move) … Has troubles putting the ball on the floor and making moves (commits a high number of travels) … Lawal must work on his outside shot as well as free-throws (.541 FT %) … His shot doesn’t have good mechanics and he doesn’t feel comfortable shooting the ball … It will be interesting to see if he improves his outside game and learns how to beat his defenders off the dribble (it would make him very difficult player to guard at the next level). Lacks experience … Will commit some cheap fouls and get into unnecessary foul trouble …

Stevan Petrovic 1/19/09

YouTube Clip – 1/7/2009