Knicks: Why Obi Toppin was the steal of the draft

The Pedigree

It was no accident at Toppin was the recipient of the 2020 National College Player of the Year award in 2020. He was a notable talent throughout the season and was projected to be a top five lock.

During his sophomore season at Dayton, Toppin recorded averages of 20 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1 steal and 1.2 blocks per contest. He also shot a hyper-efficient 65 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the three-point arc in college.

This showing proved that Toppin is capable of impacting the game in a number of different ways. He is an efficient scorer with a 6-foot-9 frame, who can also rebound and defend well.

While he will need to further develop his shooting consistency (he attempted just 2.6 per game in college) in order to hit his ceiling, there are many reasons to believe that he could develop into one of the top players in the draft.

The Ceiling

This begs the question: Just how high is Toppin’s ceiling? He drew a number of interesting NBA comparisons during the evaluation process. Universally, these comps have been made to phenomenal athletes with great size. He has been mentioned in conversations with Tobias Harris, while other draft sites see him more as a legitimate big like John Collins. Some have even mentioned multi-time All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire as a potential ceiling.

One thing is abundantly clear, Toppin’s athleticism will translate well to the NBA level. He should have no trouble attacking the lane and finishing above the rim. He also projects as a nightmare in the open court and in fast-break situations.

If he is able to master a Tobias-Harris-level shooting ability, his ceiling will be as a future All-Star.