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Since offloading underutilized former lottery pick Obi Toppin this offseason, the New York Knicks have been criticized for the move.
The criticism could grow now that Toppin, 25, has been projected by ESPN to be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year honors.
In an August 22 story predicting the league’s major awards for 2023-24, ESPN’s “summer forecast panel” voted Toppin eighth, tied at 5 points with Norman Powell of the Los Angeles Clippers, for the award. Running away with the honor, with 42 points, is Chris Paul of the Golden State Warriors.
Toppin’s former teammate (and 2022-23 runner-up for the award) Immanuel Quickley was tied for fifth, and other players receiving votes include some of the league’s bench talent, Jordan Clarkson (tied for seventh) and Malcolm Brogdon (sixth) falling just ahead.
In front of him is Toppin’s former teammate and current Knicks second-unit spark plug Immanuel Quickley (tied for fifth), who finished second in the race for the illustrious award just last season.
Toppin was traded to the Indianapolis Pacers for two future second-round picks. He goes there with an exciting amount of untapped potential, flashing brilliance throughout his New York tenure, especially during the final seven games of the regular season when he posted impressive averages of 18.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 56.8% shooting from the field and 43.8% shooting from deep.
Ian Eagle Says Knicks Can’t Win With Julius Randle as Focus
The Knicks traded Toppin in part because the power forward position was already spoken for by Julius Randle, who’s under contract through 2025-26.
But Brooklyn Nets TV announcer Ian Eagle said the Knicks don’t appear to have a clear path toward a championship with Randle as their focal point.
“If you’re asking me is he one-A, is he one-B to win a title, probably not. He isn’t,” Eagle said on the August 17 episode of the “Bad Weather Fans” podcast. “If you’re asking me, can you win a championship with Julius Randle as part of your team, I think you can. But it will require him to maybe see the game through a different lens and that’s going to be the challenging part.”
Since coming to the Knicks in 2019, Randle has been selected to two All-Star games and has earned two All-NBA nods throughout this four-year span. He has led the team to two postseason appearances, including their first playoff series win since the 2012-13 season.
Eagle Suggests Jalen Brunson Must be Knicks’ Focal Point
Eagle noted that Randle has proved capable of stepping up for the Knicks when needed, though he said the franchise’s best bet for winning its third championship is for the big man to take a back seat to Jalen Brunson.
“Randle has been an alpha, and when the Knicks needed an alpha he did step forward and he did take on a lot, and I do think Tom Thibodeau appreciates the things that he brings to the table,” Eagle said. “But there are other parts that he is going to have to secede here a bit, and more so to Jalen Brunson to be the guy. Brunson’s the guy right now and how everything else shapes up will probably go a long way into determining what the Knicks look like here in the [2023-24] season.”
After inking a lucrative four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks last summer, Brunson had a career season, boasting averages of 24.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on 49.1% shooting from the field and 41.6% shooting from deep.
In just his first year with the team, he guided New York to their best record and first semifinal appearance since the Carmelo Anthony era.
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