NY Knicks: 3 Non-Stars that will dictate playoff success in 2022

Obi Toppin is a whole new player for the NY Knicks

Serious question…who the heck is the guy wearing the #1 jersey for the Knicks and what did he do with last year’s Obi Toppin?

This kid is making me doubt every negative thing I’ve ever said about him and the Knicks have only played 4 games.

Through those 4 games, Obi is averaging 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and at least 2 DOPE dunks per game.

It was pretty obvious that Thibs didn’t trust Obi very much throughout the regular season but as time progressed, Coach saw more and more things he liked about the kid and that’s been amplified even more so this season.

Even after saying he didn’t like playing Obi and Randle on the court at the same time due to a lack of rim protection, Thibs’ hand was forced a few times because of numerous injuries to the Centers on the team.

And the tandem produced nothing but fireworks together. It just makes sense to run that lineup if the opposition warrants it…because what the Knicks lose on defense, they more than make up for it with an explosive, unorthodox style of offense.

I’m not saying the Knicks should rock with the smaller lineup for huge stretches of time but if there’s a less-than-imposing Center in on the other team or the backup is in, running a frontcourt with Obi and Julius has its benefits.

If only Obi could get his 3-point shots to start falling at a respectable clip, it would open up the offense that much more.

Right now, he’s shooting an abysmal 18% from deep, but all we can really ask for is that he has the confidence to just keep shooting them.

Because eventually, they’ll start to fall.

Toppin shot 39% from deep in college with Dayton, so we know what he’s capable of…it’s just that he’s still learning the speed of the NBA and is clearly still adjusting.

But there’s little doubt about how special he is and to have someone of his caliber spelling Julius Randle this season is going to be a nightmare for other teams.