Knicks ‘Need to Find Ways’ to Play Former Lottery Pick, Analyst Urges

Getty Obi Toppin needs to play more.

With the New York Knicks season fast approaching, the time to lock down what lineups the team will be using is happening soon.

It looks like the Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes battle for the starting spot has been decided with the veteran getting the job. Part of that might’ve been to do with the fact Grimes has been injured, but this was an expected move by coach Tom Thibodeau.

Another battle to watch is Obi Toppin and Julius Randle. There’s not much threat for Toppin to come in and steal Randle’s job, but he will need to find a way to get more playing time. Thibodeau has been unwilling to play the two of them together at the same time, so it always boils down to one or the other.

Toppin was selected eighth overall by the Knicks, and he’s flashed a lot of talent, but he’s largely been relegated to the second unit in a limited role. In a prediction of three breakout Knicks, Bleacher Report’s Zack Buckley lists Toppin on the condition he gets playing time.

Toppin Needs Minutes

As Buckley notes, via Toppin’s Basketball Reference page, he boasts very good per-36 averages at 17 points per game and seven rebounds, but that might end up being a bit skewed.

Last season, the Knicks starters often found themselves digging the team into a big role that was hard to come back from. The bench would then come in and go on a run, boosting their per-36 numbers in a hurry. That’s not discounting Toppin because he’s clearly a talented forward, but the numbers might not be what they seem.

With all that said, it’s no secret that Toppin needs minutes, and Buckley is urging them to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

“We regret to report we don’t have the secret fix here, we just know New York needs to find ways to play him,” he wrote.  “By the way, that’s not an anti-Julius Randle take—though, we could get to that point if the start of his season looks like the end of the last one—but simply a pro-Toppin one. He produces whenever his number gets called, and his play often suggests that stardom is coming as soon as New York removes his training wheels.”

It’s easier said than done for the Knicks, and there is similar urging for another former lottery pick in Cam Reddish to get minutes.

What’s Likely?

If the Knicks don’t find a trade partner for Randle, and it’s not even guaranteed they are looking for one, then Toppin’s minutes will suffer as a result.

He’s certainly caught the attention of coach Thibodeau in the preseason, so that might win him some favor early on in the season. If Randle’s struggles from last season carry over into this one, we might even start to see Toppin cut into the minutes.

Buckley notes that in games Toppin has played more than 30 minutes, his numbers skyrocket to 24.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.1 threes and 1.1 blocks, so it’s not like the talent and productivity isn’t there for him.

He just needs a shot.