New York Knicks: Full Player Stats Projections For 2021-22

New York Knicks: Obi Toppin Stats Projection 2021-22

• 76 Games Played
• 15.4 Minutes Per Game
• 7.9 Points Per Game
• 3.3 Rebounds Per Game
• 1.9 Assists Per Game
• 47.0% Field Goal %
• 37.1% 3p Field Goal %
• 77.0% Free Throw %

One of the hardest players to project right now is Obi Toppin.

Not much has changed in terms of his avenue to playing time on the roster. He’s playing behind Julius Randle, but on top of that, it’s hard for him to line up anywhere outside of power forward.

Now, this debate has been a pretty divisive topic among New York Knicks fans — Should Obi Toppin get minutes at the 3 or the 5?

I believe that I’m in the minority when I say he’d be more effective at small forward than at the center position, but here’s why.

We know Obi Toppin struggled a lot on defense last season, but when we did see flashes late last season of confident defense, it was always along the perimeter.

Toppin has really unflexible hips and choppy lateral foot speed, however, he has the length and athleticism to recover on jump shots. So while he may get crossed over a lot on the perimeter, we actually saw him late last season start to put himself in better defensive positions for him to recover with his length. It’s not something he can really do when trying to box out a much heavier center.

I understand he has the leaping ability, but he gets absolutely demolished in the paint. His strength is nowhere near NBA centers, so really, Toppin has to find a consistent role as a forward, and he could thrive along the perimeter as a shooter and cutter toward the rim. Thibodeau is always going to rely on Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson to fill those backup center minutes.

There will be moments for Obi to shine, and I actually think we’re going to see him let it fly a little more this season. I have a really hard time believing that his 30.6% 3-point shooting was a true indicator of his shooting touch.

Expect Toppin to grow defensively, increase his long-range shooting volume and efficiency, and be an important part of the team’s 2nd unit. I think we’re going to see a more confident Obi Toppin in year 2 with new wrinkles in his offensive game.