The Dallas Mavericks selected former Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal with the No. 48 pick in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Lawal was the first Hokie drafted since Nickeil Alexander-Walker went No. 17 overall to the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.Air Lawal has landed in the League 🛬 pic.twitter.com/1AtyBCVEVY— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) June 25, 2026It's a long way from where this started. Lawal grew up in London, attending the City of London Academy before moving to the United States. He landed at Lee Academy Prep in Maine, where he averaged 14.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in 2021-22, only his third year of organized basketball. VCU came calling, and he spent two seasons with the Rams, emerging as a rotation piece in his sophomore year and averaging 7.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He made one start across two seasons in Richmond.Virginia Tech changed that. Lawal committed to the Hokies in April 2024 and blossomed in his first season in Blacksburg, averaging 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and leading Mike Young's team in both categories. He entered the 2025 draft process, got the feedback he needed and returned for his senior year.He made good on that. As a senior, Lawal averaged 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 54.2% from the field. His 8.5 rebounds ranked top 10 in the ACC. He did it while missing nine games with an ankle injury that required surgery.The stuff that can't be taught, though, is what scouts kept circling back to. At VCU's 2023 preseason combine testing, Lawal recorded a 49.5-inch vertical leap. At the NBA Draft Combine in May, he posted a 45.5-inch max vertical and a 40.0-inch no-step vertical, measurements that rank among the best in combine history. He stands 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10.5 wingspan. He consistently used his athleticism to make highlight-worthy blocks night in and night out.The projection at the next level is clear: lob threat, transition finisher, switchable defender. The questions are just as clear: his 3-point shooting dipped to 25% in his final college season after a 37.1% mark as a junior, and his half-court offensive game still needs reps.But Lawal has shown before that he can outpace what anyone expects of him. He didn't start playing basketball until 16. He went from one start in two seasons at VCU to leading Virginia Tech in scoring and rebounding. He came back for his senior year after ankle surgery and kept producing, averaging 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow