3 New York Knicks that Must Step Up in the Absence of Julius Randle

New York Knicks: Player #1 — Obi Toppin

In a Knicks season filled with discouragement, the one major bright spot throughout the first 35 games has undoubtedly been the resurgence of Obi Toppin. The high-flying power forward has looked every bit like the dominant college player that caused him to be drafted 8th overall in 2020.

The 23-year old is averaging 19.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks per 36 minutes this year. He’s shooting 54% from the field, regularly running the floor in transition with his relentless energy which has resulted in several eye-popping dunks.

Toppin will likely become the new starting power forward with Randle out, and it’ll be interesting to see how he performs with extended minutes. He’s been stuck on the bench behind the All-Star big for every game of his budding career, and it hasn’t really allowed him an opportunity to play through his mistakes. In fact, he’s never recorded more than 28 minutes in a game.

The only recent example of Toppin’s ability in extended minutes came in the summer league this past August. In six exhibition contests, he averaged 21.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 45-34-89 shooting splits while playing just over 35 minutes each contest.

While his competition will undoubtedly be a lot tougher than it was in the summer league, Toppin has a chance to truly breakout and help provide high-energy scoring in order to rack up a few more wins.