The Mavericks have a new name at the top of an NBA 2K26 rating chart, and it’s not the one most fans would have guessed. Tobi Lawal, the second-round pick and two-way rookie, was given a 99 vertical leap rating - the highest possible mark - putting him in a tiny club that also includes Detroit Pistons wing and All-NBA Defensive Team member Amen Thompson.
That kind of explosiveness is exactly why Dallas took the swing. Lawal went No. 48 in the 2026 draft after four seasons in college, splitting his time between VCU and Virginia Tech. The 6-8 forward produced at least 12 points per game in each of his last two seasons, and in 2025-26 he averaged 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for the Hokies.
The raw athletic profile is the headline here. Lawal posted a 40.5-inch standing vertical leap at the NBA Draft combine this spring, the second-highest standing vertical ever measured there. With a running start, he went even higher, clearing a vertical measurement of more than 45 inches.
That’s the kind of gift that had Mavericks GM Mike Schmitz talking in no uncertain terms after the draft.
"Tobi is one of the most explosive athletes, if not the most explosive athlete, in the draft in college basketball," Schmitz said. "Just his energy, his motor, his toughness."
Of course, Dallas is still figuring out exactly what Lawal will be at the NBA level. The fit is interesting, but the path to minutes is crowded.
New head coach Dusty May has to build around Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg, and there are plenty of bodies already in the frontcourt mix: Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Flagg, Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama and P.J. Washington are all in the fight for time at power forward and center.
Lawal’s offense is still a work in progress. Flagg and Washington can slide to the wing, but Lawal’s skill set isn’t nearly as polished yet, and his college 3-point shooting barely cracked 32 percent.
His best opening may come through circumstance. Lively and Gafford both dealt with injuries during the season, Johnson still has to show he can make the jump to the NBA game, and the same basic question applies to Flagg as well.
Lawal is also one of three Mavericks on a two-way contract, which limits him to 50 NBA games and sends the rest of his development time to the G League with the Texas Legends.
There’s also a familiar name attached to the vision for him. President Masai Ujiri sees traits in Lawal that remind him of New York Knicks wing OG Anunoby, a player Ujiri scouted and drafted during his time with the Toronto Raptors.
"The crazy thing is, he told me in my workout when I first worked out before the draft, he just was telling me OG Anunoby is one of my comparisons," Lawal said. "He was just telling me the type of work ethic he had. (Ujiri) understands and knows so much, especially just learning from guys like him, I have no doubt I can be that type of player."
Lawal has already flashed the kind of bounce that gets people leaning forward, throwing down eye-catching dunks for the Mavericks in Las Vegas during Summer League. And he sounds ready for whatever chance comes next.
"The coaching staff is great, the whole environment is great, Dallas is great, so it's an easy place for me to grow, because growth is very important to me," he said. "This is the perfect place for me to be."
For now, the most obvious thing about Lawal is the one trait that jumps off the page: his vertical is already NBA-ready.
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Risacher already showed up at the Mavericks facility, where teammates welcomed him into the mix and the conversation quickly turned to fit. Dallas now has another high-end forward to slot alongside Cooper Flagg, Max Christie and P.J. Washington, and the larger question is how the team sorts through all that size, skill and upside without crowding the same part of the floor. [Read more 🡒]