Knicks: Why Obi Toppin was the steal of the draft

The Future

Perhaps most importantly, Toppin helps resurrect what was feared to be a lost offseason in NYC. After watching the cross-town Nets land Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in free agency, while also pursuing James Harden via trade, it would have been easy for Knicks fans to punt on another lost year.

Toppin give us all hope for the future. The team now has another player with a top-five-pick pedigree to add to an already intriguing mix of RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, and Frank Ntilikina. The franchise desperately needs one of these players to ascend to the All-Star ranks. While it appears as though Knox and Ntilikina are destined to be role players, Barrett, Robinson, and Toppin all still have a chance at stardom.

Conclusion

While this selection should be greatly encouraging to faithful Knicks fans, it certainly doesn’t fix their issues. The team is still in need of star power to help them end their recent streak of mediocrity and reestablish themselves as a consistent postseason team.

The pick does secure another avenue for the Knicks to acquire a significant talent boost. The franchise now has three interesting young players with high ceilings. They have also retained the possibility of trading for another established star like Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Gordon Hayward, etc.

For the first time in recent memory, the team has two legitimate paths toward correcting their course. They are no longer completely reliant on a superstar like LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo spurning better opportunities to pursue the bright lights of New York. If things break right, they can build their own future.