Name: Tywon Lawson

Team: Denver Nuggets

Position: Point guard

NBA Statistics: 9.4 (points), 3.4 (assists) 2.1 (rebounds)

Background: Despite bouncing from high school to high school during his early years, Ty Lawson was still able to leave an impression wherever he went.

His final place of secondary education was the Oak Hill Academy and there his ballin’ prowess began to attract attention, averaging 23.8 points, 9.1 assists and five steals on route to being named in the USA Today’s All-American First Team. He enrolled at the University of North Carolina in 2006 and became an immediate hit averaging 10.2 points and 5.6 assists in his first season.

He led his team to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular season title as well as the ACC tournament and despite being injured for most of the following season, helped his team to compete the double yet again.

He declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA Draft, but decided to withdraw his eligibility and progress to his junior year of college where he received more accolades, with the most prestigious award being the ACC Player of the Year.

He was the first point guard in over 20 years to achieve the award. He decided against his senior year of college to enter the 2009 NBA Draft and was selected as the 18th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves who immediately traded him to the Denver Nuggets.

Being of a miniature stature, his abilities are oftentimes overlooked but his exploits last week have gone a far way in announcing his arrival to the league. Last Saturday he made his first 10 three-pointers for a career-high 37 points against the very team that drafted him, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

— Devaro Bolton