Obi Toppin - Player Profiles

 

Standing 6’9” and boasting a 44 inch vertical, Obi Toppin, is a highlight just waiting to happen. Since entering the NBA, Toppin has been wowing crowds at MSG with his dunk-contest worthy slams. Beneath the surface, there is more to him than just flashy dunks and alley-oop throw-downs. Over the past two years, Toppin has shown tremendous growth as a player, growth that is expected to continue, and maybe even accelerate, into this year.

In the 2021-22 season, Toppin, in 17 minutes, averaged 9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and half a block. In the short amounts of minutes Toppin received, he was sure to make them count. He was also very efficient overall, boasting a solid 53% from the field. In addition to the great statistics, Toppin also brought the intangibles when he stepped on the hardwood. He sprinted down the court after every defensive rebound, often leading to wide-open, fast-break dunks on the other end. He gave effort on both sides of the ball, hustling on defense and never just standing around on offense. Toppin’s handle greatly improved from his freshman outing, now able to take guys off the dribble and look comfortable with the ball in his hands. He was more confident and aggressive with his shot taking, the polar opposite of the previous year.

However, Toppin’s season wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows last year. While he shot 53% from the field, he only shot 30.8% overall from three and a marginally better 31.5% from catch-and-shoot threes. Toppin made it a focal point of his game last year to become a better three-point shooter. Despite his shot looking much better mechanically, his three-point percentages barely increased from the 2020-21 season (30.6% to 30.8%). All hope is not lost for Toppin’s stroke from deep, though. Post all-star break Toppin shot a whopping 40.8% overall from three and 43.7% on catch-and-shoot threes! And this wasn’t just a hot stretch - for 18 straight games, it looked like Toppin had found his rhythm from three. Now it’s time to see if that shot making will continue into the upcoming season.

Towards the end of the season last year, all signs pointed towards Toppin blossoming into a fantastic player for the Knicks. The biggest high of this coming out party for Toppin was April 10th in Toronto, when he scored 42 points, 10 boards, and 3 assists. With Barrett and Randle out, Obi needed to step up and he delivered. This game was a prime example of what Knicks fans have been clamoring for for so long - get Toppin more minutes! Last year, in games where Toppin played 20 or more minutes, he averaged about 16 points. In games where he played 30 or more minutes last year, he averaged almost 22 points. Coach Thibodeau needs to find a way to get Toppin more involved in the rotation. Whether that be simply playing him more minutes, or finding a way to have him and Randle on the court together, Toppin is too valuable of a player to only be playing 17 min per game. 

If he can get the minutes in this upcoming season, big things are coming for Obi Toppin. It’s just up to whether the coaching staff, and specifically Thibodeau, will play Toppin more.