Obi Toppin Makes One Of NBA’s All-Rookie Teams
Believe it or not, the Knicks have not drafted badly over the last decade or so, they have just screwed up by trading away great players or letting them sign elsewhere. A prime example of this is Kristaps Porzingis. They handled him and his contract situation so terribly that they ultimately had to trade away the All-Star big man who could have been the face of the New York Knicks for years to come.
Last year, they drafted R.J. Barrett, who has the makings of being the star player for the Knicks moving forward and this year, they drafted Obi Toppin, who won almost every single award you can win in college basketball. Toppin spent two seasons at Dayton, but it was what he did in his second year that made him one of the top players in this past draft.
In 31 games last year, Obi Toppin averaged 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and shot 63.3% from the floor, 39.0% from three-point range. As a result of his dominance on the basketball court and leading Dayton the entire season, Toppin was named the 2019-20 AP Player of the Year, a 2019-20 consensus All-American, the Naismith Award recipient and the Wooden Award recipient.
Giventhe Knicks lack of talent over the years, Toppin will immediately join this Knicks organization and contend for a starting position from Day 1. Although he will likely start the season coming off the bench behind Julius Randle, both him and R.J. Barrett are the future of this organization and they will look to get them as much playing time as possible.
The lengthy 6’9” forward will make an All-Rookie team because of how he can take over a game on both ends of the court. Toppin is a lethal transition player who was notorious for getting a stop at one end of the court in college, taking the ball 94-feet to the opposite side of the court and dunking over his opponents. While the competition is a lot fiercer in the NBA, Obi Toppin will still use his athleticism to his advantage and his elusiveness is what will set him apart from other power-forwards around the league.
By midseason, Obi Toppin will likely contend for a starting spot on the Knicks and will likely be their second or third best scoring option over the course of the year. As a result, Toppin will make one of the two All-Rookie teams and be well on his way to being one of the faces of the New York Knicks moving forward.
