New York Knicks: Player grades through first 1/4 of the season

New York Knicks Player Grades: Obi Toppin — A-

What a turnaround it’s been for Obi Toppin. He has been a jolt of lightning every time he’s stepped onto the court.

Remember, this isn’t just a case of the bench having better numbers because they play against opposing benches — the Knicks starters have been bad and the Knicks bench has been maybe the best bench in the league, both can true.

A huge part of the bench’s success is Obi Toppin, who leads the entire team in Player Efficiency Rating.

We know about Obi Toppin’s flaws, but it feels like he’s rarely exposed like he was last season. He’s maximized his strengths to the point where he always seems like he’s in the right position.

His speed and relentless motor in the frontcourt are irreplaceable. I talked about this in a recent article — How other Knicks players can be temporarily replaced by others on the Knicks roster, but no one else on the roster can bring the same skill set that Obi Toppin has.

The only thing keeping this from an A is his shooting. We expected better.

Toppin is shooting a really poor (that’s putting it nicely) 17% from 3. His looks are almost always open, he just doesn’t look like that great of a shooter yet — it’s still a lot of arms and not enough leg strength in his shot.

Even still, Obi Toppin has been a nightmare for opposing defenses and makes everyone around him better. The Bushwick native has turned into a heat-seeking missile.

(Note: No grades for Nerlens Noel, Taj Gibson, Quentin Grimes, and Miles McBride, who haven’t played enough.)