Considered an excellent athlete and physical player, Lawal averaged 13 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for Georgia Tech.
Lawal is a potential replacement for free agent Louis Amundson.
For more on Lawal, see Bright Side of the Sun.
From the Suns official release:
A three-year standout at Georgia Tech, Lawal was named to All-Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team in both his sophomore and junior seasons after leading his team in both scoring and rebounding in each campaign. The 6-foot-9, 234-pound forward is an athletic and productive rebounder who averaged 14.0 points and 8.9 rebounds in 67 games (66 starts) over his final two collegiate seasons. An able finisher around the basket, Lawal shot 54.8 percent from the field for his career and averaged 6.0 free-throw attempts in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Most recently, the 21-year-old Lawal averaged 13.1 points and 8.5 boards in 2009-10, both team-bests, while playing in the frontcourt alongside Derrick Favors, who was selected No. 3 overall in tonight's draft by the New Jersey Nets. Lawal finished his career with 27 double-doubles overall, second-most among active ACC players. He grabbed 3.6 offensive rebounds as a sophomore in 2008-09, tops in the ACC.
Lawal becomes the 18th early entry selection in franchise history and the third Georgia Tech product selected by the Suns, joining Bruce Dalrymple (46th overall, 1987) and Malcom Mackey (27th overall, 1993).