Tobi Lawal's shooting concerns won't stop him from making an impact for the Mavericks

Despite Dallas Mavericks rookie Tobi Lawal not being a reliable 3-point shooter yet, the 23-year-old forward still has the potential to blossom into a rotation player for Dallas over time. His athleticism, defensive upside, and play finishing make him an intriguing prospect, and the Mavs don't have to rush his development.

Why Dallas should be patient with Tobi Lawal

Dallas drafted him in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft and later signed him to a two-way contract. This means he can be active for 50 games for Dallas, and the Mavs have the flexibility to play him in the G League for the Texas Legends as much as they want.

This developmental track worked wonders for Moussa Cisse and Ryan Nembhard during their rookie seasons last season, and both players ultimately earned standard contracts with the Mavericks. With Lawal's physical tools, he could enter this same conversation.

Dallas just has to remain patient and allow Lawal to grow at his own pace. The team's frontcourt is already crowded, meaning minutes are hard to come by, but a productive year in the G League with some impactful NBA minutes sprinkled in would be great for him.

Why Lawal can make an impact without being a top-notch shooter

He posted a 45.5-inch maximum vertical jump at the NBA Draft Combine, and he showed off these hops for Dallas in the Summer League. Lawal threw down some ferocious slams and showed off his ability as a lob catcher, and while he doesn't create much for himself, he's great at finishing plays.

This is exactly why he doesn't need to be a knockdown shooter right away. He shot 32.5 percent from three over his four-year college career and didn't really start shooting threes until his final two seasons at Virginia Tech. Lawal showed improvement as a shooter over time, but he only shot 117 3-pointers over 116 college games. That's pretty low volume — even for a forward.

Despite his low 3-point shooting numbers, he makes his impact felt in other ways. He can still knock down an occasional 3-pointer, but this isn't a strength of his game yet.

The best parts about his game are his defensive tools and lob-catching right now, and everything else can come into place later on. As a rookie, he just needs to play hard, play his role, and work on improving as much as he can. Lawal isn't going to be a staple in the rotation immediately, but if he displays winning characteristics, he's going to be someone that the Mavs should keep around.

Lawal's comparisons show what he could become

Dallas clearly believes in him, as Masai Ujiri compared him to OG Anunoby. This is high praise, as Anunoby is a two-time NBA champion, but Lawal could one day provide a similar impact for the Mavs if he continues to improve.

Lawal has the potential to grow into a strong 3-and-D wing with defensive versatility and elite rim-running skills, just as Derrick Jones Jr. was during their run to the 2024 NBA Finals. Jones Jr. was never a 3-point marksman for the Mavs, but he was at least a respectable shooter from long range (36.9 percent shooting from three in 22 games during the 2024 NBA Playoffs).

Lawal has drawn comparisons to Jones Jr. since being drafted by the Mavs, and him becoming a similar player to him would be a home run for Dallas. It took multiple seasons for Jones Jr. to become a good 3-point shooter, as he only made six threes through his first two seasons.

Now, he has made over a three per game in each of the last three seasons. It took some time, but he let the rest of his game do the talking before expanding his game beyond the 3-point line.

Lawal and the Mavs should take the same approach as he begins his NBA journey, and even if he doesn't knock down threes at a high clip right away, MFFLs have nothing to worry about.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow