New York Knicks: How Obi Toppin is starting to evolve

The New York Knicks are starting to see some progress from their rookie Obi Toppin. Coinciding with the team’s ascension in the Eastern Conference has been the development of their young players. It’s been a nearly perfect balance of winning and youth development.

Even in this magical season, there have been some blemishes along the way, the most obtrusive of which has been the development of Obi Toppin.

New York Knicks: Obi Toppin’s career thus far

We all know the pre-draft narrative: “NBA-ready” prospect, “Plug and play” “Rookie of The Year candidate”, all of the labels around Obi Toppin which really shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

People coupled his older age with the college production to create this “ready to go” label and ignored the most important thing: the context. Obi Toppin was a late bloomer. After playing a post-graduate season after high school, Toppin committed to Dayton where he redshirted his freshman season and then went on to play just 2 seasons of college ball.

Toppin had a big final season in college where he found himself as the focal point of a fast-paced offense. He was then drafted to the New York Knicks where the fit was… less than ideal.

Obi Toppin has his own limitations to his game but his fit with the team that drafted him hasn’t done him any favors. However…

Over the past couple of games, we are starting to see some noticeable strides in Toppin’s game. He’s starting to show some of the reasons why the team drafted him. So let’s start out by looking at an area of the game that has been the team’s biggest strength and arguably Toppin’s biggest weakness: Defense.

New York Knicks: Obi Toppin is buying into the “team defense” mindset

This was the side of Obi Toppin’s game that we all knew would be a struggle, but hey, who better to learn defense from than Tom Thibodeau?

It’s going to be hard to show significant strides in the sporadic playing time that Toppin has gotten but when it comes to defense, it’s not as much about volume or getting in a shooting groove. You should be able to showcase your chops on defense even in limited playing time. You can be rusty and still get in there and scrap on defense.

It has been difficult for Obi Toppin. He doesn’t possess great lateral quickness and can have tight hips on defense. I’ve talked about  Toppin’s lack of positional versatility – he struggles to contain quicker wings and stronger bigs. What Obi Toppin can do is maximize his physical strengths to help cover up the parts of the game he’s still learning. He has to use that athleticism and wingspan.

Tom Thibodeau’s defense requires a lot of hard rotations and crashing the strong side of the court. Someone with Toppin’s ridiculous wingspan and leaping ability can easily find a way to wreak havoc.

Look at that block on Kenyon Martin Jr. He’s is able to slide with him and while he does give up some space on the spin move, Toppin has the athleticism and length to recover for a really impressive block. No one is expecting him to guard the opponent’s best player. The NY Knicks just want him to be a cog in the Thibodeau juggernaut.

I believe Toppin can become a solid help defender and shot blocker. Maybe it’s another year or two away but I think of guys like Amar’e Stoudemire or Kristaps Porzingis who aren’t known great defenders yet can get some high block totals by utilizing their leaping ability and reach. He’s starting to figure out how to be more consistent in his defensive stance and using his wingspan to recover.

The rookie is starting to figure out where his spots are on defense. The areas on the floor where he can make an impact. His increased defensive awareness is only going to see him get more playing time and ultimately be able to show off what he can do on offense.

Obi Toppin starting to find his niche in the New York Knicks offense

Let’s quickly go back to the fit of Obi Toppin and the New York Knicks. The kid comes onto the slowest-paced team in the league and plays the same position as their soon-to-be All-NBA player Julius Randle. It’s been an uphill battle for playing time.

On top of the initial struggles for playing time, the Knicks have been, well, a really good basketball team. Clamors for Toppin to get more playing time so he can develop haven’t been a hot topic considering the Knicks’ main rotation has led to a successful season. Toppin has had to learn in practice and in the 11.1 minutes per game he’s averaged this season.

The Knicks aren’t going to adjust their style to suit Toppin, but Toppin has begun to adjust his style to suit the Knicks.

It really starts with the most glaring component to basketball that just about any fan watching the game can detect: confidence. Maybe Obi Toppin was so used to playing the run-and-gun offense and Dayton that he now thinks every play is a fastbreak. Whatever it was, every time he had the ball it looked like he was pressed to make the right play. It was as though he thought he was running in transition when in reality he was parked in the corner with plenty of time on the clock.

Now, the game is starting to slow down for the 23-year-old. His increased assertiveness getting to the rim has been clear. Someone like Toppin should have a high field goal percentage at the rim and it’s started to increase. His mid-range shot has been falling. (70th percentile on mid-range shots for his position, per Cleaning The Glass) 

The rookie can provide more passing and versatility on offense than really any Knicks forward not named Julius Randle. If he can be a shooter and runner on the court who can also make that extra cross-court pass, then he can settle into a really nice role. I think of guys like Kelly Olynyk, (pre Houston Rockets) and Paul Milsap,

Really, the talent has always been there on offense, but like his defense, Obi Toppin is starting to find his spots. He’s figuring out to slip behind the defense more adeptly and be the off-ball threat that can make a significant impact for this team. New York doesn’t need him to be running the offense, they need him to help others run the offense. He can thrive as a pick-&-roll-man on this team.

With the improved awareness, has Obi Toppin played himself into a larger role?

Obi Toppin could play a bigger role for the New York Knicks

This team may not be tailor-made for Obi Toppin to thrive but he’s certainly starting to carve his role on the squad. The 2nd unit is naturally more of a fit for his game. He has speedy guards he can run with – Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley. Again, I want to emphasize that this isn’t a fast team and that Rose and Quickley do almost all of their damage in the half-court. You can play a “fast” half-court offense and Obi Toppin is starting to realize that.

The increased awareness on defense might very well earn some more time on the court. Tom Thibodeau said this after the team’s win over the Houston Rockets:

"“Obi has been playing really well, and so it’s given us an opportunity us an opportunity to rest more.”"

I’ve emphasized over and over how important it is for the New York Knicks’ secondary players to contribute on offense. Whenever Quickley, Rose, and Burks can contribute as scorers and help lighten the load on Randle, good things seem to happen for the team. Maybe Obi Toppin can become one of those reliable options.

Perhaps this is where Tom Thibodeau will even begin to throw Obi Toppin on the floor with the starters in spurts. With Nerlens Noel picking up a mild ankle injury, Toppin may see some overlap with Randle on the court.

It’s hard to see any kind of star trajector for Obi Toppin in the near future but guess what, he’s starting to be a contributor on a top-10 team. He has some natural talents that haven’t been able to shine through because he’s very much still learning the game. 62 games into the season, it’s safe to say he’s picking up on things.

In some weird way, the unnatural fit of Obi Toppin and the Knicks’ offense may have been beneficial. It’s forced both the team and Toppin to stare at his weaknesses right in the eyes and demand improvement.

There are some parts of the game that will come easily to Toppin and some that will require a lot more time. Either way, he’s proven that he’s ready to put in the work.

That’s what this New York Knicks team is – a team of hard workers. Maybe Obi Toppin fits after all.