NY Knicks vs. Toronto Raptors: 3 Summer League Superlatives

NY Knicks: Best Performance: Obi Toppin

It is fitting to say that Obi “Top-pin” had the team’s “top” performance against the Raptors.

Following a rollercoaster rookie season, it is important that we keep seeing Obi show improvement in his development, especially at his age. Even if the New York Knicks’ “win now” approach to the upcoming seasons may mean his Knicks tenure will be short-lived, Toppin will still have a meaningful role to play in 2021-22 for as long as he is here.

We all want to see Toppin succeed no matter what after all, and succeed he did on Sunday night. Toppin completed his 36 minute performance notching a game-high 24 points (10-21 shooting) and 8 rebounds, to go along with one steal and one block. Toppin didn’t record any assists, but his vision was on display as well, as he made many timely and impressive passes. He was quick to act whenever he had the ball, so it was great to see him being so decisive out there and keep the ball moving on offense.

He launched a whopping 10 attempts from three and only cashed in two of those shots, but it is alright because that 3-point percentage won’t improve without shot attempts. They were all quality looks too and he didn’t hesitate to let any of them fly. That is the type of confidence that Toppin lacked at times as a rookie and that will be crucial as he looks to be a better shooter and overall player.

That one steal I mentioned, by the way, led to this fast-break dunk:

We even got to see some leadership from Toppin as the game unfolded early. He was mic’d up for the ESPN broadcast. Might I mention, that broadcast was HEAVILY centered on the Raptors with barely any Knicks coverage. Monica McNutt was the sideline reporter, but that along with the Toppin vocals was as close as the Eastern Conference’s 4th seed got to coverage. The media is still out here disrespecting the New York Knicks. Man, I wish these games were on MSG too, but I digress.

Hopefully, we get to see Toppin dominate for the rest of the Summer League and witness the team’s first win in the process. The next game is Wednesday, August 11th at 10 PM ET against the Los Angeles Lakers!