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Going into the new season, New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin is still stuck behind Julius Randle in the depth chart, and there doesn’t appear to be a path for him to get heavy minutes going forward.
Toppin has become a fan-favorite in New York thanks to his big motor, major athleticism and his infectious personality, but none of that has been enough to get big minutes.
An option that exists is playing Toppin alongside Randle in small-ball lineups, but coach Tom Thibodeau hasn’t shown a willingness to doing that, much to the chagrin of Knicks fans.
When asked about seeing the two play together next season, Thibodeau dumped cold water all over the idea, staying true to form.
Don’t Expect to See Toppin and Randle Together Often
When asked about utilizing both Toppin and Randle, Thibodeau said in as many words that the two don’t work together.
“The best thing about young players is they can get better,” he began about his young guys developing, before going into the types of lineups we’ll see out there. “It’s based on performance, who fits best together. It’s not fantasy basketball, it’s what makes the group work best. So, that’s what we’ll do. I like the way [Toppin] is growing.”
Toppin is one of the team’s top propsects and would be getting a lot of minutes on a team with room for him, but the Knicks don’t see to be one of those situations for him.
However, fans believe that it could be, and they made their voices heard.
“We’re not off to a good start here,” said one fan.
“This man is going to get booed out of the building,” said another.
Other fans pointed out that Alec Burks played out of position at point guard last season, something that would seemingly go against a coach who says things like “it’s based on performance.”
“It’s based on performances,” wrote the fan. “Remind me when Kemba, Elfrid, or Burks ever outplayed IQ and earned that starting PG spot? He’s gaslighting on day one.”
How to Get Playing Time
It seems like the best way for Toppin to get more playing time is to either be traded or to see Randle traded.
As of right now, it doesn’t look like either of those things will happen, and with Thibodeau unwilling to play the two together, it’s a tough spot to be in.
If Randle gets off to a slow start this season, Thibodeau could be forced to give Toppin more playing time as the team has seen a noticeable uptick in energy when him and the rest of the young guys come into the game.
The season hasn’t even started yet and Thibodeau’s comments have fans stressed out which is never a good sign. It doesn’t look like Thibodeau is going to change up the way he runs things this season, and that was to be expected. At least this season will see him forced to play more of the younger guys considering there aren’t many aging veterans left on the roster like Taj Gibson.
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