Is NY Knicks’ rookie Obi Toppin already a bust?

NY Knicks’ rookie Obi Toppin was selected 8th overall this offseason with big expectations. He was an older prospect who was known to be an NBA-ready talent with offensive numbers in college that compared to the likes of Zion Williamson. But the rookie that has caught the heart of New York so far has been Immanuel Quickley, who was the 25th pick of the draft.

This year’s draft process was, for a lack of a better word, highly unorthodox. In what was claimed to be a weak draft class to begin with and there was a severe lack of data/sample size to assess some of the younger talents. College basketball was cut short due to the pandemic and March Madness was canceled. There were no tournament draft stock boosters like Donte DiVencenzo’s in this draft.

To make matters worse, there were the obvious restrictions on in-person workouts, the awkward timing of the draft process because of the NBA season restart in Orlando, along with so many other factors that played out to everyone’s detriment. Needless to say, it was near impossible to make a solid judgment call on these prospects. Needless to say, it was a nightmare for NBA front offices to figure this out.

NY Knicks: Outlook heading into draft night

The NY Knicks’ headed into the 2020 NBA Draft with the 8th pick with a clear need at the point guard position. Obi Toppin, to a surprise, fell to the Knicks at 8. The overall sentiment towards the pick was positive and most of that was due to the negativity around Julius Randle’s performance in the season prior. After Toppin was drafted, many saw Julius Randle as a trading chip waiting to be sent away. We’re now halfway through the season and Julius Randle is an All-star with Obi Toppin playing 12.2 minutes per game. It’s been a strange season for the Knicks but quite the successful one under the guidance of Tom Thibodeau.

While it has been an underwhelming rookie season for Obi Toppin, let’s dive into whether the front office has made the right pick of the draft or not.