Ht/Wt: 6-9 / 229 lbs
Position: PF
Team: Georgia Tech
Class: Junior

2010 Draft Profile - Gani Lawal

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Gani Lawal Stats:
Season	GP	MPG	PPG	APG	RPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	BPG	SPG
2009-10	36	25.7	13.1	0.4	8.5	52.9	0.0	57.2	1.4	0.4
2008-09	31	29.6	15.1	0.6	9.5	55.6	0.0	55.9	1.5	1.0
2007-08	32	17.3	7.2	0.3	3.5	57.0	0.0	49.5	1.0	0.4
Career	99	24.2	11.8	0.4	7.2	54.7	0.0	55.2	1.3	0.6

Gani Lawal Videos

Gani Lawal 2009 Draft Combine Interview

2009 Draft Profile - Gani Lawal

Gani Lawal reminds me of a Detroit Piston big man in the Chuck Daly era, strong, tough, smart and plays with a championship motor. No one tries harder than this young man, and the growth from his freshman to sophomore year proves it. He has tremendous moxie, is an excellent student and comes from a solid family as his dad is a successful real estate/mortgage broker.

He’s another young player that lacks refinement in the low post, and is two years away from being a back to the basket scorer, but with his hard work and determination he’s a great pick in the late first, which is where many are projecting he goes.

Athletically, he has a strong profile. He runs the floor well, is a great leaper and is extremely strong for his age. What I like about him most, is that he likes mixing it up down low and has that toughness and grit that many other young players simply don’t have. I could see him playing that tough guy, intimidator role of yesteryear. He could be a true enforcer, but one that does not carry the thug label, as he’s extremely coachable and carries zero baggage.

This is the prototypical lunch-pail smash mouth power forward that many teams need on their team. He plays the game hard, whether it’s posting up, or his forte which is offensive rebounding. Gani led the ACC in offensive rebounding with 3.6 a game, and averaged 9.5 boards per game for the season. There is no reason to believe that he will not be a great board man at the next level. He has the height, 6’8/6’9, the weight 235 pounds, and the wingspan 7’1 to physically play the position. Throw in the Cosworth motor and this guy is ready to go.

Other top attributes are that he plays every game, and every minute of the game like a warrior. His scoring prowess needs work, but he gets a lot of his points without plays being run for him. Some would call him a garbage player, but it’s tough to score in college when the whole defensive unit collapses on you when you get the ball. This is an area he needs to work on, as he had trouble with double teams and decision making.

When Gani was forced to face the basket and put the ball on the floor. It was obviously not a strong part of his game. He is more of a cut to the basket, receive the ball, take two steps and flush kind of guy. His jump shot also is not even close to where it needs to be in the new NBA, where everyone is bombing threes. The cool part, is the he knows this And doesn’t try and do things he’s not capable of. He really plays within the confines of his game. Keep in mind, he did average 15 points a game in for Georgia Tech, which plays in the ACC, so he knows how to get it done.

Because of his rough and tumble game, he gets fouled a lot. Unfortunately, his ability to convert free throws is at a 55% level, and that’s certainly not going to cut it. In looking at his form, at times it’s good, but at other times he seems to move his elbow around. This is easily corrected in the pro game, where a player can work on his game and not have to worry about classes, mid-terms or finals. If he could shoot the ball with consistency from the perimeter, he would be a top ten pick, so therein lay the opportunity for the team drafting him.

If your team plays a lackluster defense and you need someone to rev things up, he’s your huckleberry. He’ll probably come off the bench his first few years in the NBA, but once he gets his confidence up, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be a solid player. He’s what we call a value pick. Solid athlete, solid person, but someone who needs to work on their game, he’s another guy that would benefit by playing a lot of one on one, to develop all of the offensive subtleties to play the game successfully. That and 1000 free throws a day.
Draft Profile provided by Ed Ziti of SportsPolyMath.com

Would you like to write a player profile for any prospect that may be entering the 2009 NBA Draft? Email profiles of any player (even player’s not on our list) to our Webmaster. Credit will be given to the author of the profile.

Gani Lawal Stats
Season	GP	MPG	PPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	APG	RPG	BPG	SPG
2008-2009	31	29.6	15.1	55.6	0.0	55.9	0.6	9.5	1.5	1.0
2007-2008	32	17.3	7.2	57.0	0.0	49.5	0.3	3.5	1.0	0.4
Career	63	23.4	11.0	56.0	0.0	53.6	0.4	6.5	1.2	0.7

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