Tobi Lawal can jump, and if his reported 49.5-inch vertical is legit, he might as well have wings. For Virginia Tech to return to the NCAA Tournament and breathe new life into the Mike Young era, the Hokies need Lawal to make more than a physical leap. They need him to rise to another level.
Lawal is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive athletes in the country. At 6-foot-8 and 215-pound, he’s a spring-loaded forward with an explosive vertical and easy bounce. Lawal needs little time or space to take flight. He’s also quick in a straight line and plays with good bend, moving like a contortionist in the air, able to twist and control his body for acrobatic finishes and contested rebounds.
With a growing skill set, Lawal has the size and athleticism to be a game-wrecking defender — along with the offensive tools to become a go-to presence in the frontcourt. The question is: can he put it all together?
It wasn’t just Lawal’s postseason soundbites that stood out; he delivered genuine moments of excellence last season. After transferring to Tech following two years at VCU — first under Mike Rhoades, then Ryan Odom — Lawal made a clear two-way impact, as reflected in several key metrics. That said, if the Hokies hope to reclaim their status as an analytics darling and return to the NCAA Tournament, they’ll need him to elevate his game even further.
Lawal’s game is still a work in progress, but his flashes and production are too tantalizing to ignore. There are moments when his athletic tools and burgeoning skills converge into something more refined. Even if he simply replicates last season’s performance, Lawal would remain a valuable piece for Virginia Tech. But if he’s truly on the verge of a breakout, then the Hokies may have exactly what they need in the frontcourt.
Air Up There
Lawal’s athleticism naturally keeps him around the rim on both ends of the floor. As a sophomore at VCU, he posted a 22.7 percent defensive rebound rate, a 14.1 percent offensive rebound rate and converted 67.7 percent of his 2-point attempts. He followed that up with a second consecutive season recording at least a 20 percent defensive rebound rate, a 10 percent offensive rebound rate and 60 percent shooting on twos.
According to Bart Torvik’s data, Lawal was one of only nine high-major players to clear the benchmarks of 20 percent defensive rebound rate (22.0%), 10 percent offensive rebound rate (10.8%) and 40+ dunks (48). The other eight players to hit those benchmarks are true centers: Oumar Ballo, Cliff Omoruyi, Amari Williams, Ven-Allen Lubin, Mady Sissoko, Keba Keita, Ernest Udeh and Flory Bidunga.
While Lawal logged some minutes as a small-ball 5 for the Hokies last season, the majority of his playing time came at the 4. Only 260 of his 792 minutes (32.8 percent) were spent with Virginia Tech’s full-time centers — Mylyjael Poteat and Patrick Wessler — off the floor.
Though Lawal is a bit slender for a frontcourt player and can sometimes get pushed around by bigger, more physical opponents, he still commands the glass by using smart box-outs and out-leaping taller players for contested rebounds.
Here against Florida State, Alier Maluk (21) receives an early-offense post-up while cross-matched on the shorter Rodney Brown (4). Maluk’s hook shot clangs off the rim and bounces back toward FSU’s 7-foot center. This could be an easy offensive rebound, but Lawal has other ideas. He soars in from outside the paint and grabs the ball before Maluk can regain possession.
Lawal doesn’t cherry-pick rebounds, either. While Lawal could stand to box out more consistently, he competes aggressively for out-of-area boards and wins plenty of battles against other strong rebounders. According to CBB Analytics, Lawal averaged 6.0 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes last season on missed field goal attempts — not including free throws.
This is an excellent defensive sequence by Lawal against Virginia. As Isaac McKneely (11) and Blake Buchanan (0) run an empty-side pick-and-roll, Poteat (34) hedges the screen, leaving Buchanan open on the short roll. McKneely lofts a pass to Buchanan, but Lawal provides back-side help, rotating from the paint to the right mid-post. Buchanan then skips the ball to the weak-side corner, and Lawal recovers back to Jacob Cofie (5), one of the nation’s top high-major freshmen rebounders last season. When the late-clock three-point attempt is launched, Lawal seals Cofie with a box-out and ends the possession by securing the board.
According to CBB Analytics, over half of Lawal’s total field goal attempts (50.2 percent) came at the rim, where he converted 75.6 percent of those looks. This includes 48 dunks, averaging 2.4 dunks per 40 minutes — one of the best marks in the country among forwards. While impressive, these numbers are down from his 2023-24 season at VCU. That year, 80.6 percent of Lawal’s shots came at the rim (97th percentile nationally), where he shot 74.4 percent, and he recorded 69 dunks in 720 minutes, averaging 3.8 dunks per 40 minutes. This shift largely reflects Lawal’s expanded range and development into a more prolific 3-point shooter.
On this offensive rebound opportunity against Wake Forest, Lawal swim-moves around Juke Harris (2) to grab the board — uncoiling his right arm to reach back and snag the ball as Harris bumps him under the rim. Lawal misses his initial put-back shot, a tricky reverse attempt, but quickly recovers his own rebound and pogo-sticks right back up for a finish over Tre’Von Spillers (5.1 percent block rate), a strong rim protector.
Lawal shot 65.6 percent on put-back attempts last season, per CBB Analytics.
Of course, Lawal’s blend of speed, long strides, leaping ability and touch makes him a potent open-floor scorer. He’ll occasionally go grab-and-go after a steal or defensive rebound — as he does here against FSU. Lawal anticipates the pass to the wing, jumps out into the passing lane, deflects the ball and uses his strides to win the race to the rim.
Alternatively, the London native can be a force when he fills the lane and sprints the floor in transition. At Cameron Indoor, Lawal attacks the rim after a Duke turnover, receiving a pass from Brown and showcasing impressive in-flight body control with a contorted finish that shields the ball from Sion James’ contest.
Rearranging The Chessboard
The wheels sort of fell off Virginia Tech’s defense last season, as the Hokies finished as the No. 166 unit in the country according to KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric. They also ranked outside the top 250 in effective shooting percentage (52.3 eFG%), 2-point percentage (54.7 2P%) and 3-point attempt rate (41.2 percent). This marked the first time since the 2010–11 season that a team coached by Young attempted a lower percentage of its shots from beyond the arc (40.4 percent) than it allowed on defense.
Under Young, Virginia Tech has primarily defended ball screens by bringing the screen defender — the defensive 5 — up to the level of the pick, often hedging out on the ball handler. This approach, which puts two defenders on the ball, has its strengths but also leaves the defense rotating on the back side, with three defenders tasked with guarding four offensive players. When the offense moves the ball in these situations, it can create open 3-pointers and shots at the rim. According to CBB Analytics, opponents shot 64.2 percent at the rim against Virginia Tech last season, ranking in the 31st percentile nationally.
This type of pick-and-roll coverage places a lot of responsibility on Lawal. When defending the pick-and-roll, if the defensive 5 is above the arc pressuring the ball, the 4 works as the back side help defender, ready to rotate around and put out fires. However, some opponents were clever with their spacing — pulling Lawal away from the paint before the action began and forcing a smaller defender to serve as the helper in the paint.
For example: Pitt quickly flows into an empty-corner pick-and-roll with Jaland Lowe (15) and Cam Corhen (2), while Guillermo Diaz Graham (25), the 4 defended by Lawal, spaces to the middle third of the floor. This pulls Lawal out to the 3-point arc, leaving shooting guard Jaden Schutt (2) responsible as the low-man helper.
As Poteat lunges at Lowe, the ball is already out of the point guard’s hands. Pitt is ready for this coverage and “shorts” the ball screen: Lowe initiates the screen, then quickly swings the ball to Diaz-Graham, who looks to make a quick read against the rotating defense. From the opposite slot, Diaz-Graham, defended by Lawal, snaps a pass to the rolling Corhen, who remains unfazed by the 6-foot-5 Schutt at the rim.
The ball moves faster than the defenders, and this “short” action allows the offense to stay one step ahead of the defensive rotations.
On this possession against NC State, the Wolfpack run a pick-and-roll with Breon Pass (4) and Dennis Parker Jr. (11), which VT switches, putting Lawal on Pass. Ben Middlebrooks (34) then lifts to set another ball screen, with Wessler (5) hedging out. The Hokies now have their two tallest players defending the ball, both positioned above the arc, leaving no size on the back side of the play. Pass hits Middlebrooks on the dive for an easy finish.
Defensive Playmaking
For Lawal, it's all about processing speed. Can he become a more reliable anticipator when defending in help situations? When he's in the right defensive spots and locked in as a helper, he can be incredibly impactful. He has the length and quick hands to disrupt passing lanes and the vertical ability to deter shots at the rim.
Here’s another pick-and-roll possession vs. Pittsburgh. Ish Leggett (5) and Corhen run a spread pick-and-roll, with Diaz Graham spaced out to the right wing. This time, there’s no empty corner, and with Diaz Graham on the wing rather than the slot, Lawal shows up twice on the possession. First, as Poteat hedges out on Leggett, Lawal pinches in off Diaz Graham to cover Corhen on the dive, while Schutt sags into the paint off Zack Austin (55) in the left corner. Then, Lawal becomes a force in the gap. As Leggett drives, Lawal flashes help at the elbow, digs in and gets the steal — leading to a transition bucket for Tyler Johnson (10).
Lawal’s activity and length as a gap defender are on display as Louisville point guard Chucky Hepburn (24) tries to create a 1-on-1 opportunity against the smaller Ben Hammond (11). As Hepburn drives right, Lawal digs off J’Vonne Hadley (1) in the strong-side corner.
With his wingspan, Lawal covers a remarkable amount of space. Hepburn drives into traffic, and Lawal gets the deflection and the steal.
At times, Lawal looks more comfortable defending 1-on-1 in space along the perimeter. That’s mostly fine, but he can have an even greater impact by consistently filling defensive gaps as a team defender. Once again, Lawal covers a lot of ground; when he’s locked in and reading the floor well, he can cause significant disruption.
This is a tough action from Florida State to defend: a 5-out set with playmaking center Malique Ewin (12) initiating. Ewin first dribbles over an inverted ball screen from Jamir Watkins (1), followed by a fake dribble-handoff (DHO) to point guard Daquan Davis (5). This sequence allows the skilled 6-foot-11 center to turn the corner on Poteat. Often, the result is a dunk for Ewin; however, Lawal rotates off Taylor Bol Bowen (10) on the weak side and is at the rim to alter/deflect Ewin’s would-be finish.
For his career, Lawal has a block rate of 4.4 percent. During the 2024–25 season, he posted a block rate of 3.1 percent, ranking second on VT’s roster behind Wessler (4.0 percent). While still solid, this marks a decline from his sophomore year, when he posted a 5.5 percent block rate.
Lawal starts as Tech’s center on this possession against NC State, defending Ismael Diouf (33). As the Pack run a 5-out DHO action, Lawal hedges the ball screen for Pass — quickly stepping out before recovering to Diouf. The ball is kept in front, forcing NC State to reset. Late in the shot clock, the Pack run a guard-guard screening action with Marcus Hill (10) slipping a pick for Pass. The Hokies switch, leaving Johnson on Pass. Johnson is a talented, physical defender, but Pass breaks him down with a nifty crossover move. The right side of the rim opens briefly as Pass drives, but Lawal rotates over and swats the shot away — keeping it inbounds and saving the ball for a rebound.
This is the kind of effort Tech needs more of from Lawal next season. He’s the team’s defensive anchor. If the Hokies want to improve on that side of the floor, he’ll need to elevate his game as a helper and playmaker.
Gobble Up Points
Lawal is an important interior target for Virginia Tech’s half-court offense. Whether through designed plays or random movement within Tech’s flow, Lawal can score inside 15 feet in various ways: basket cuts, rim runs off the pick-and-roll and post-ups.
On this possession at Duke, the play starts with the Hokies in a Stack set: Hammond initiates up top while Schutt and Poteat align in the middle of the floor. Lawal spaces out to the right corner, defended by Cooper Flagg (2). Schutt sets a blur screen, creating a switch—Tyrese Proctor (5) takes Hammond. Next, Poteat lifts to set a ball screen for Hammond, flipping the angle at the last second to bring Hammond to the middle of the floor and create a split opportunity with Khaman Maluach (9) up at the level. As Hammond gets by Maluach, Flagg crashes off the corner to help at the rim. With Flagg occupied, Lawal cuts in from the corner and is rewarded with a well-executed pass and finish.
This is a savvy read from Lawal. He could’ve remained stationary in the corner for a kick-out, but he times his cut well and produces an easier, shorter pass for the 5-foot-11 Hammond against the 6-foot-9 Flagg and 7-foot-2 Maluach.
Stating the obvious: with an athlete like this, an offense should highlight his vertical abilities in designed actions — something the Hokies do well with Lawal.
This play against Virginia starts with Lawal initiating from atop the key and Hammond cutting through to the left wing. As Hammond gets back on the ball, Lawal looks ready to set a pindown for Schutt, one of the better movement shooters in the ACC. However, before Schutt comes off the screen, he rejects it — stopping short of the down screen, a trademark of Young’s motion offense. Often, there would be a second down screen from Lawal for Schutt. Instead, Tech inverts the action, having Schutt set a rip screen for Lawal, which creates the lob opportunity.
Hammond’s pass is a bit off the mark, but Lawal adjusts mid-air and plucks the ball despite it being well behind him. As soon as he lands, Lawal immediately gets back into motion — using a shot fake to get Cofie (4.9 percent block rate) off his feet, followed by a quick second jump for a reverse finish.
VT opens in a Horns set on this possession against Pitt, with Lawal and Ben Burnham (13) stationed at the elbows. Hammond passes to Burnham at the left elbow and cuts to the left corner, clearing the weak side once again for Lawal–Schutt down screen action. As before, Schutt rejects the initial pindown and drifts toward the baseline before racing back up to come off a second screen from Lawal. After receiving the pass from Burnham, Schutt draws two defenders — Corhen hedging out and leaving Lawal open on the roll. Schutt delivers the pass, and Lawal avoids the smaller Lowe at the rim, finishing with power before Diaz Graham can rotate down.
Here, Virginia Tech runs what I refer to as its “Iverson Veer” action. The play begins with Schutt cutting across Iverson screens at the elbows from Lawal and Burnham. Brandon Rechsteiner (7) dribbles right as Lawal lifts, appearing ready to set a step-up ball screen. Instead, Lawal veers out — slipping the screen for Rechsteiner and setting a weak-side down screen. Schutt curls the screen hard, pulling Cofie into the lane and leaving Lawal open to dive downhill. Schutt lobs the ball to the rafters, where only Lawal can get it; if not for a foul on Cofie, it likely ends in an alley-oop slam.
Tech can leverage Lawal’s skill with the ball by using him as a 5-out DHO initiator, which creates opportunities for rim runs, especially in small-ball lineups with Lawal at the 5 and Burnham (42.7 3P%) at the 4. In those lineups (246 minutes), Virginia Tech averaged 109.6 points per 100 possessions with a 52.8% effective field goal percentage, according to CBB Analytics.
Attacking against Wake Forest, Rechsteiner passes to Johnson on the right wing and cuts down through the lane. Johnson swings the ball to Lawal in the middle of the floor and VT is set up to run Gut Zoom action: a down screen (Burnham) into a DHO in the middle third of the floor. Rechsteiner dribbles right off the Zoom action, which pulls in Spillers and creates the open roll for Lawal. Cam Hildreth (6) crashes down to help at the rim, but Lawal does a nice job shielding the ball before going up for the easy finish.
Lawal’s off-ball movement and ability to finish as a cutter or screen-setter should complement incoming guard Neoklis Avdalas — a 6-foot-8 playmaker from Greece — exceptionally well. Avdalas’ live-dribble creativity and court vision are likely to generate plenty of high-percentage opportunities for Lawal around the rim.
As an added bonus, these 5-out DHO sets and rim-run actions can also flow into post-up touches for Lawal, creating deep seals against a rotating defense or a smaller defender to attack on a switch.
For instance, against Pittsburgh, Lawal initiates 5-out Zoom action with Burnham setting a down screen for Jadon Young (3), who sprints off and flows into the DHO. Pitt switches the action: Corhen picks up Young, leaving Brandin Cummings (3) — a 6-foot-3, 175-pound freshman guard — matched up with Lawal. Young can’t find Lawal on the roll, so he wisely swings the ball back to Burnham, who’s in good position to deliver a post-entry pass. Lawal seals the smaller Cummings, and although the Panthers send help, it comes too late. Lawal absorbs the contact, displaces Cummings with a bump and finishes at the rim before the extra defenders can arrive
While not a true 5-out DHO possession, this sequence functions similarly against a switching defense. Virginia Tech runs step-up ball screen action against Duke, with Lawal setting the screen. Duke’s center, Maliq Brown (6), switches out, leaving 175-pound wing Isaiah Evans (3) matched up with Lawal. The ball is swung to Burnham on the right wing, who once again delivers a well-timed entry pass. Lawal seals the slimmer Evans and finishes at the cup.
The Up-Shot
The most significant area of development for Lawal at Virginia Tech — which has been a strong player development program under Mike Young — was unquestionably his 3-point shooting. After making just three 3-pointers on eight attempts across 63 career games at VCU, Lawal took a major step forward from beyond the arc in Blacksburg, connecting on 23-of-62 attempts (37.1 3P%). This is still a relatively modest number of attempts — roughly two per game — but it marks a big step forward from his time at VCU. In his first season with the Hokies, Lawal launched 4.7 30point attempts per 100 possessions, up from just 0.5 per 100 while at VCU.
This surge in 3-point volume reshaped Lawal’s shot profile, though the bulk of his attempts still came either at the rim or from beyond the arc. According to CBB Analytics, just 3.5 percent of his field goal attempts last season were 2-pointers taken outside the paint. His offensive game is built almost entirely around dunks, layups and spot-up 3-pointers.
Adding to the intrigue, Lawal has shown flashes of flexibility in his ability to shoot off movement. He’s capable of relocating along the perimeter for spot-up 3s or stepping into shots out of pop action.
Lawal shoots a high-arching jumper and, at times, appears to need time and space to gather into his shot. However, there are also possessions where he looks entirely comfortable shooting on the move or against closeouts.
Late in the shot clock against NC State, Virginia Tech runs empty-corner action: Lawal sets a screen for Brown but pops out to the wing instead of rolling. Diouf hedges the screen, and with the right side cleared out, there’s no help defender to challenge Lawal. Diouf scrambles to recover and contest the jumper, but Lawal’s catch-and-release is smooth and efficient
Overall, Lawal’s 3-point shooting sample remains relatively small for assessing his long-term progression as a shooter. While there have been encouraging flashes of touch, some underlying metrics raise concerns. He’s a career 62.9 percent free throw shooter and made just 34.6 percent of his 2-point attempts outside the restricted area last season. This offseason represents a crucial phase in Lawal’s development: if he can continue to improve his shooting, maintaining efficiency and tightening his release, he could become a much more potent weapon for the Hokies and significantly boost his prospect ceiling. It’s a big 'if,' but one worth watching closely.
Slasher + Playmaking Pitch
When Lawal knocks down shots, it helps stretch the floor for him and create driving lanes in the half-court offense. These are the moments when he’s at his best — slashing downhill against a tilted defense.
On this possession, Hammond breaks down Virginia’s defense, driving past Dae Dae Ames (7) and forcing Anthony Robinson (21) to leave the corner and help near the lane. Lawal inherits a slight advantage when Hammond kicks the ball out to him in the corner and Robinson scrambles back to contest the shot. As Hammond drives right, Robinson leans that way — but Lawal pivots smoothly, spinning baseline to create separation and finish with an and-one.
After a 3-point miss by Burnham, Lawal creates an extra possession by scaling over Elijah Saunders (2) and back-tapping the ball out to Schutt. As the ball swings around the arc, Virginia’s defense becomes a bit scrambled; Johnson drives, and UVA doubles the post, leaving Lawal open just one pass away. Johnson makes the easy find, and Lawal takes over — using his long strides to split Robinson and McKneely for a catch-and-go dunk.
Lawal is a relentless driver who isn’t afraid of contact, using his quickness and long strides to cover ground efficiently. Beyond his impressive vertical leap, his stride length is one of his most noticeable athletic tools, allowing him to separate from defenders and navigate tight spaces in the final third of the floor.
Even when defenders close out short, Lawal confidently attacks the available space, relying on his athleticism to overpower opponents 1-on-1. On this play, Spillers doesn’t extend out to the 3-point line to guard him. Lawal takes what the defense gives him — driving into the space and then using a blend of balance and strength to power through Spillers at the rim.
Lawal’s physicality as a driver impacts another key stat: drawing fouls. According to KenPom, he ranked inside the national Top 40 in the 2024-25 season with a free throw attempt rate of 63.3 percent — the ratio of free throw attempts (145 FTA) to field goal attempts (229 FGA). This closely mirrors his sophomore season, where he posted a 63.6 percent free throw attempt rate.
Moreover, Lawal drew 3.1 shooting fouls per 40 minutes last season, which ranked in the 95th percentile nationally, per CBB Analytics.
Those drives also create playmaking opportunities for Lawal, who shows promise as a creator for others. While he posted a modest assist rate of 7.7 percent last season, his passing flashes were impressive at times.
Lawal isn’t a breakdown player, but he can handle the ball enough to put it on the deck a couple of times, attack the rim or find an open teammate. When driving, he actively looks for kick-out opportunities or, if his penetration draws additional big-man help defense, he can dish to teammates positioned near the dunker spot. In the 2024-25 season, Lawal set up Poteat for nine assists.
If there’s one flaw in Lawal’s driving game, it’s that he occasionally falls into tunnel vision. Rather than playing heads-up basketball and using his presence as a driver to find teammates for quick passes, he sometimes drives or spins into heavy traffic and turns the ball over.
To open the game against Louisville, Virginia Tech runs the screen-the-screener “Ram” pick-and-pop action. Schutt sets a screen for Lawal, who then lifts and sets a ball screen for Hammond. As Hammond drives left, Hadley steps in to help corral the ball, leaving Lawal open on the pop. Hammond kicks out to Lawal, who has several positive options: he’s a good shooter and could pull up from deep; as he drives right, he could thread a pass to a cutting Johnson, who has Terrence Edwards (5) beat along the baseline; or, after crossing over to the nail, he could kick back to an open Hammond, left free on the perimeter with Hepburn digging at the nail. Unfortunately, he does none of these.
Hepburn, one of the top steals artists in the country last season (4.0 percent steal rate), knocks the ball out and gets the pilfer as Lawal drives into a congested lane.
Obviously, Virginia Tech doesn’t want Lawal to lose his aggressiveness as a driver — that’s part of what makes him special. However, a turnover rate of 20.7 percent (5 turnovers per 100 possessions) is far too high for a play-finisher like him. Lawal’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.41-to-1 (15th percentile) reflects this struggle.
To be clear, this is low-hanging fruit for Lawal to improve. He’s a highly efficient interior scorer who draws plenty of fouls and appears capable of knocking down 3-pointers. That’s a recipe for success. But the turnovers need to decrease, which will require smoother decision-making. If his 3-point shot proves reliable and he cuts down on turnovers, he could reach a new level of efficiency on offense.
