Gani Lawal

Strengths

Lawal gained national attention last year for his sophomore year success- 15 points and almost 10 rebounds per game. This season, he has been lost in shuffle with freshman sensation Derrick Favors in town and numerous power forwards breaking out of their shell this year. But Lawal is still producing, in fact he has been better this year… At 6'9", he is a long, athletic power forward. He has great leaping ability, getting off the floor in a split-second. His wingspan has been measured at 7', making him a weapon on the glass. Physically, he has the ideal NBA body scouts desire. He is a strong 230 pounds, and he doesn't back down from any challenge. He is still developing and fine-tuning his offensive post moves. This season, his off-season work is evident. His post footwork looks better and he looks more confident with the ball in the post. His right-handed hook shot has been quite effective and he has even developed a soft touch, using the glass to aid his shots in… Defensively, he is an above-average shot blocker, especially playing behind his defender. He has shown improvement in his defensive stance and sliding...

Weaknesses

Offensively, Lawal has much to learn still. He relies on his athleticism a bit too much. He utilizes his drop-step well, but struggles reading the defense and adjusting to what ball move works best. He also does not have much of a perimeter game; he is currently attempting less than one shot a game outside of the paint. His shooting mechanics are a bit unorthodox… Continuing on with his offensive weaknesses, Lawal is not an adequate passer out of the post. He seems to struggle reading his post defender while keeping aware of his teammates on the perimeter… Defensively, he can become over committed to help side defense. He has a tendency to lose his man when he commits to helping/doubling on defense. Also, when the ball gets swung away from his side to the weak side, Lawal has a tendency to lose track of his man…