The Suns took Gani Lawal in the second round with the 46th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.  Entering the draft the same year that teammate Derrick Favors did, Lawal was “the other guy” and he saw his stock drop off (mainly because teams thought he was undersized at 6’8″ and 233 lbs).  However, he has really impressed while playing for the Suns during the Las Vegas Summer League, proving he has the skills to make it in the NBA.

The Good

Physicality

Despite being undersized (in terms of weight) when going up against opposing power forwards and centers, Gani Lawal shows a physicality that is needed to excel when matching up against bigger opponents.  This willingness to bang bodies helps Lawal on both sides of the court:

Here, Lawal gets the ball in the post with a taller defender covering him.  Lawal simply drops his shoulder and drives it into the bigger defender, pushing him back a few steps.  Lawal gets to where he wants to be on the court and attempts his shot (though he gets fouled).

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