How Does Lawal Fit?

[Irish]

NBA Draft.net

46. Gani Lawal | 6-9 | 233 | PF | Georgia Tech | 21

At 46, the Phoenix Suns get a ready-to-contribute NBA power forward in Gani Lawal. Had he not played on a team with terrible guards and a top-3 talent in his position, Lawal would've been drafted in the top 25. He's not the most polished offensive player, but he thrives in an up-tempo offense (hello, Phoenix!) and can pull down a rebound in traffic (unlike a certain someone who is demanding a max contract). Outstanding pick, but who made it?

http://www.nbadraft.net/instant-analysis

In 2008-09 Lawal averaged 15.1 ppg (last year while playing with Favors that dropped to 13.1 ppg). Considering the weak guard play at Georgia Tech, it is hard to tell what kind of offensive skills he might have. The feeling is that his shooting range is limite. His footwork in the low post is not great. What is not discussed is whether he is any good in the pick and roll.

in analyzing his game closely, it appears a lot of his struggles are on the mental side of the game, as when he gets the ball in rhythm and/or with his defender isolated on an island in the post, he actually has shown nimble feet, quick decisions, and crisp post moves at times. When the game gets slowed down and defenses collapse, however, those results are a rare occurrence.​

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Gani-Lawal-1269/#ixzz0s6aBfloo
http://www.draftexpress.com ​

Lawal isn’t much of an off-the-dribble, face-up player at this stage either, however he’s excellent attacking the rim on cuts or on the offensive glass, showing a very high motor and always getting himself into good position​

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Gani-Lawal-1269/#ixzz0s6aftFzS
http://www.draftexpress.com ​

Some writers have mentioned Lawal has good hands and dunks the ball well. None of the commentators have mention how well he might do in the pick and roll. On the surface, he looks like an ideal prospect for the Suns offense.

Considering his size and athleticicm, Lawal sounds like what Amare Stoudemire was in his early days except Lawal is a better defender /rebounder. It's early days, but he looks to be an ideal backup for Amare if he stays.

 

[JerkFace]

I think he'll be a great back-up in our system. If we expect more that that though I think we will be disappointing.

 

[HooverDam]

Someone is probably going to give Lou Amundson a bit more money than the Suns can afford to, Lawai will take that role. He can rebound, and he can run, he'll be a nice hustle player for the Suns in the short run and maybe he'll develop into more than that, but who knows.

 

[Superbone]

The man's name is Lawal.

 

[jandaman]

He's a 2nd round type of player. I expect similar contributions to Lou Amundson, maybe a bit less energy for his first season anyways.

I'll be happy if turns out close to Haslem or your typical hustling big man, with plenty of energy. But the chances of him being a franchise changer is very very small.

 

[Trifecta]

With him, Clark and Duds I think we are pretty much set at backup 3-4 without Lou, assuming we either keep amare or get another starter at 4.

 

[The Commish]

I think his upside could be a Brandon Bass or Paul Milsap. All of the interviews I've seen with him were very solid and apparently has a great work ethic. For a mid 2nd round pick I think that's all you can ask for.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think his upside could be a Brandon Bass or Paul Milsap. All of the interviews I've seen with him were very solid and apparently has a great work ethic. For a mid 2nd round pick I think that's all you can ask for.

I'd love to see a Paul Milsap kind of guy come out of this draft for us. I didn't watch as much college Bball this year as I usually do so I don't really know what we can expect from him. The only thing I remember about Lawal from the one game I saw was that he seemed uncomfortable in his own body when he ran. He went up and down the court like someone was operating his body with a remote control. Maybe he had an injury although I don't remember it being mentioned.

Steve

 

[Irish]

Reports were generally favorable. But every report made it clear that Georgia tech did not have good guard play. So we don't really know how he will do with Nash or Dragic.

I realize it is easy to dismiss my speculation about how he will do in the pick and roll. At this point, it seems like every big in the draft is evaluted based on his back to the basket skills. In a sense, Collins mits the usual image of the classic big much more than Lavail.

In any case, IMHO neither will be more than end of the bench, D-League guys for several years. It has nothing to do with being taden in the 2nd round. It just takes a few years for bigs, any bigs, to be ready for the NBA.