The NBA Draft is tonight and with that we will say goodbye to Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal. Favors has gotten a lot of hype and love and is projected to be a Top-5 pick sources say the New Jersey Nets will select him as the #3 overall draft pick. He will be the 5th Yellow Jacket to leave after his freshman year and he played one year at Georgia Tech because of the NBA age restriction.I loved watching him swat the ball away from the opponent. His wingspan is ridiculous. Good luck Derrick.
Personally, I will miss Gani a lot more, and it has everything to do with watching him for three years and see him grow as a player. I heard about him his senior year in high school when he was the Gatorade Player of Year. I then got to watch him play and gain an understanding of the game on a higher level.I watched him improve especially in free-throw shooting. I won't say that I know basketball better but I do know about free-throws and I don't consider them difficult and nothing makes me more angry than a missed free-throw. Too many times have they been the reasons for a Tech loss. One of my most poignant memories of Gani is when the Jackets were playing down in Macon against Mercer his sophomore year. We had to barely beat them in overtime because Gani could not make a free-throw. Now, a year later, we've seen his improvement and I even graphed it to double check it.
It may not be a huge victory, but sometimes those small victories are the most satisfying and I for one, am satisfied with the way he ended in that category.
We all know he tested the waters last year and made the smart decision to come back to play college ball. Today, Gani is projected to be a late first-round/early second-round pick. He improved his stock as a whole. He has the experience needed to come into the NBA. Since his freshman year, Gani has faced 23 NBA Lottery picks, that's 20% of NBA draft picks since 2008. This experience will help in on the next level and I truly wish him good luck.
What are your favorite Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors memories?