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Mavs Rookie Tobi Lawal is NBA's Best Jumper; Will He Make An Impact?
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- Mavs Rookie Tobi Lawal is NBA's Best Jumper; Will He Make An Impact?
The new NBA 2K26 player ratings are rolling out, and there's an unexpected name from the Dallas Mavericks at the top of one ranking.
Second-round pick and two-way rookie Tobi Lawal has a vertical leap listed at a highest-possible rating of 99 overall. Detroit Pistons wing and All-NBA Defensive Team member Amen Thompson is the only other player with a 99 vertical.
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While Lawal's complete arsenal remains somewhat of a mystery at the NBA level, this praise is indicative of why he's worth the investment for the Mavs' new front office of president Masai Ujiri and GM Mike Schmitz.
Lawal, the No. 48 pick in the 2026 draft, makes the jump to the NBA after four years of college basketball - two at VCU and two at Virginia Tech.
The 6-8 forward has averaged at least 12 points per game in each of the last two years. In 2025-26, Lawal scored 12.3 points, grabbed 8.5 rebounds, and blocked 1.1 shots per game for the Hokies.
Lawal measured a 40.5-inch standing vertical leap this spring, which charted as the second-highest vertical ever measured at the NBA Draft combine. With a running start, Lawal soared to a vertical measurement greater than 45 inches.
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Schmitz, who used his extensive scouting experience to spearhead these draft decisions, spoke highly of that God-given ability after Lawal was officially made a Maverick.
"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."
READ MORE: Mavs Trading Klay Thompson Becoming a Reality?
How Will Tobi Lawal Fit in Mavs Lineup?
Dallas tasks new head coach Dusty May with formulating his lineup around Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg , but in addition to the 6-9 reigning Rookie of the Year, there is a major logjam of big men at May's disposal.
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Lawal is joined by Dereck Lively II , Daniel Gafford , Flagg, Morez Johnson Jr. , Santi Aldama , and P.J. Washington as player vying for minutes at power forward and/or center.
Flagg and Washington are versatile enough offensively to play on the wing, but Lawal's offensive skillset is less polished. Even with low sample size, Lawal's 3-point shooting barely reached 32 percent as a collegiant.
However, health will be a critical factor to his opportunity. Lively and Gafford were each hampered throughout the season, and Johnson - while a physical beast in his own right - still needs to prove he can adjust to the NBA game. In that realm, the same can be said for Flagg.
Lawal will be one of three Mavs players signed to a two-way deal, meaning he's limited to only 50 NBA games. He will spend the rest of his time developing in the G League with the Texas Legends.
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OG Anunoby 2.0?
If Lawal can grow his game, Ujiri sees his physical traits in comparison to New York Knicks slasher OG Anunoby, whom Ujiri scouted and drafted while he was with the Toronto Raptors .
The physical similarities are uncanny , making Ujiri's interest in Lawal and his 7-foot-plus wingspan the least bit surprising.
"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."
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Lawal has already dropped jaws with high-flying dunks during the Mavs' time in Las Vegas at Summer League. If an opportunity comes, Lawal is confident that he'll prove that he belongs.
"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."
One thing is for certain: Lawal's top-rated vertical leap will NBA ready from the jump.
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