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Ever since being selected eighth overall by the New York Knicks back in the 2020 NBA Draft, minutes and opportunities have come sparingly for the likes of Obi Toppin.
Throughout two seasons of playing in the association, the big man has gone on to post rather underwhelming per-game numbers for someone of his draft status, boasting averages of just 6.7 points and 3.0 rebounds during this span on just 52.1% shooting from the floor and 30.7% shooting from distance.
Now heading into year three, the 24-year-old is looking to earn a larger role within head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation and while fans and media pundits spent their summer discussing the possibility of seeing him being traded this summer, Toppin seemingly spent his time working on his craft.
In a workout video posted by NBA skills trainer, Chris Brickley on September 8, the former Naismith and Associated Press national player of the year award winner was seen dominating on both ends of the floor with his stupendous dunks on offense and impressive swats on defense.
In his caption, Brickley shouted out the young power forward, citing his efficiency in 2021-22 despite limited action, and gave Knicks fans some hope for what could be to come in 2022-23.
“The first clip shows how well [Obi Toppin] plays both sides of the court,” Brickley wrote in his caption. “In only 17mpg last year, Obi was always efficient averaging just under 10ppg shooting 53 percent from the field. This upcoming season, Obi will be even more improved.”
Obi Toppin may not possess the most illustrious per-game stats on the surface, but when digging a bit deeper one will find that a potential star is awaiting his turn if ever given a bigger role within a team’s scheme.
Toppin’s Starting Stats are Wild
As stated, throughout his young NBA career consistent minutes have been hard to come by for Obi Toppin, and this has, in large, been due to the Knicks’ commitment to Julius Randle as their primary focal point at the power forward position.
However, despite this roadblock, when given increased opportunities throughout his tenure in New York the big man has actually only proven to excel.
When found within the starting lineup for the Knicks, the former lottery pick has been truly astonishing both from the eye test as well as by the numbers, as he holds stellar averages of 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and just shy of a block on 57% shooting from the floor and 43.6% shooting from deep in such a role.
All of these starts came last season, and, in said contests, the team went on to capture two of their most lopsided victories of the campaign, downing the Washington Wizards 114-92 on April 8 while also routing the Orlando Magic 118-88 on April 3.
Knicks Could Trade Randle
After failing to win the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes this summer, as he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on September 1, many fans and pundits alike are now under the assumption that the Knicks could be interested in setting their sights on finding a trade suitor for Julius Randle and the remaining four years, $117 million left on his contract.
This idea is certainly not anything new, as Fred Katz of The Athletic reported on a June 28 episode of the “Callin Shots with Seth Partnow” podcast that New York has already been pondering on such a transaction for some time now.
By parting ways with Randle, it would automatically open up a vacancy in the starting lineup at the four for Obi Toppin to take over which, as discussed earlier, is a role that he’s only managed to thrive in.
While there don’t seem to be any interested buyers for Randle at the moment, many are pointing to the Charlotte Hornets as being a realistic trade partner the Knicks could consider negotiating with at some point down the road.
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