Knicks: 4 things Obi Toppin revealed about himself in Players’ Tribune article

Things Knicks rookie Obi Toppin revealed:  He feels like he’s just growing into his basketball skills

Hearing that Obi Toppin didn’t dunk until his senior year of high school will either excite you or scare you as a Knicks fan. Most probably find it exciting, as it’s a sign that his success so far is just a taste of what’s to come. Late bloomers aren’t the worst thing in the NBA, in fact, some teams hunt for them in their draft strategy.

It’s pretty clear that Toppin feels that way as well, and he mentioned his gap year at prep school as the moment when it all started to click for him and he became hyper-focused on his goals as a professional athlete.

Toppin mentioned at prep school, it was the first time he started making a name for himself, and it’s why college programs finally started to realize who he was.

Ending up at Dayton, Toppin played two seasons and averaged 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in his final year, shooting 63.3 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from beyond the arc (on 2.6 attempted threes per game). He was named the Atlantic-10 Player of the Year.

Toppin is just 22, set to turn 23 in March. He may be a bit older than some of the other prospects like Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, and LaMelo Ball who are all 19, but his basketball skills are still growing. At 23, he possesses maturity but has room to grow on the court. That combination very well may serve the Knicks in a big way.