It's hard to believe, but the NBA Draft is less than a week away. This season, Virginia Tech has a good chance of having one player hear his name called. It won't be in the first round, but it could be late in the second round.
Forward Tobi Lawal is projected to be a late second-round pick next week, with a handful of teams being linked to him. Whoever does get him will be getting a player with a huge upside, but still raw in terms of the offensive end of the floor, something that Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo pointed out.
"Lawal is a London-born forward with elite athleticism, but he didn't start playing basketball until age 16, and it shows with his underdeveloped skills. He's still figuring out his jumper and doesn't do much off the dribble. But with NBA-ready hops and a strong frame, he has the tools to be a highly versatile defender who serves as a role player on offense,'' wrote O'Connor.
Tobi Lawal predicted to land with former Virginia Tech standout in NBA Draft
There have been a handful of mock drafts that have linked Lawal to different teams, including the NBA Champion New York Knicks. O'Connor predicted that Lawal would go 57th overall to the Atlanta Hawks. That would make Lawal teammates with a former Hokies legend, Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Whether or not Lawal makes the roster of the team that drafts him remains to be seen, but landing in Atlanta wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for him. He is NBA-ready on the defensive end, and when it comes to rebounding, but his offensive game needs to grow. If he gets drafted or signs a contract following the draft for the Summer League to hook up with a team, working on his offensive game is a must.
Lawal's offensive game was raw in his two seasons at Virginia Tech after coming over through the Transfer Portal from VCU. He went through the NBA Draft process last summer, but withdrew and returned to Blacksburg for another season. He dealt with injuries this past season, but he still should hear his name called near the end of the second round of next week's draft.
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