The 2026 NBA Draft begins on Tuesday night with the first round and concludes with the second round on Wednesday night in New York. At the beginning of the season, there was some thought that incoming Virginia Tech freshman Neoklis Avdalas was going to be potentially a lottery pick, if not at least a first-round pick.
However, Avdalas' struggles in his first college season set him back in terms of his NBA Draft stock, which caused him to enter the Transfer Portal after just about everyone involved in the Hokies program had to agree that the fit wasn't good.
However, there is another member of the 2025-26 Hokies that many believe will get picked this week, late in the second round, Tobi Lawal. He entered the NBA Draft process last spring, but withdrew before returning to Blacksburg for his senior season. Now, after battling injuries all season long, he's ready to hopefully hear his name called on Wednesday night.
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There have been several mock drafts that have him going real late in round two, toward the end of the draft, but Tristan Freeman of Busting Brackets, has Lawal going higher, and his stock rising at the right time.
Former Virginia Tech star Tobi Lawal predicted to go in he second round of 2026 NBA Draft
The last couple of mock drafts at different outlets had Lawal going in the final 10 picks, but Freeman's final mock draft before the actual draft has the VCU transfer going at No. 46 to the Orlando Magic.
"Wendell Carter had a good postseason, but frontcourt depth remains a need for the Magic. Lawal, whose overall game is still growing since he started playing basketball at a later age, is a great athlete and capable interior defender who’ll have an impact as a reserve early on,'' Freeman wrote.
Lawal impressed at the NBA Draft Combine earlier in the spring with some of his testing, and his raw talent might be too much for some teams to pass on. His ability to rebound at both ends of the floor is something that teams will love, however, his offensive game has some room to improve.
Late in the second round of the NBA Drafts, there are a lot of picks that are made by teams hoping to find lightning in a bottle. Lawal certainly fits in that mode, and it's becoming clear that it would be surprising if all teams passed on him by the end of the second round on Wednesday night.
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