The New York Knicks’ Best Players Through First 20 Games
By James Ryder
The Soaring, New York Knicks’ Sophomore Obi Toppin
After what was a very disappointing rookie season, Obi Toppin has swooped into this year like a supersonic aircraft, so basically Shawn Kemp 2.0.
What was a rare occurrence then is now a nightly expectation, featuring a bevy of finishes around the rim.
Despite struggling mightily from three (18.8%), he is still automatic inside the paint, shooting 52.3% from the field and 73.4% from 0-3 feet.
It is of course no surprise that 25 of Toppin’s 58 FGM are dunks.
Certainly, the upgrade of the offensive personnel and system has helped Obi, but it is very clear when watching him that his feel for the flow of the game is incredible.
That difference between the lost and tepid Toppin we saw last year and the player he’s been this year is night and day.
He is simply everywhere, constantly making the right cut, pass, and on-ball drive.
He’s quietly been awesome with his mid-range shooting, hitting 100% of shots between 10-16 feet.
His defense has been very good too.
He doesn’t qualify for the stat, but Toppin’s defensive box plus/minus would rank 37th (top 77% percentile) among all NBA players.
He even averages 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes.
And of course, the transition stats are fantastic.
Toppin on the fast break is in the 84th percentile, he has the 45th most points per possession (1.37) and he’s 50th in transition FG% (64%).