After a 125-114 loss on Wednesday, the New York Knicks fell to a record of 34-43 on the season. On Thursday, the Knicks became officially eliminated from the play-in tournament and will likely be welcoming in yet another lottery pick this summer.
The loss to Charlotte showed much of the same problems that have been plaguing the team all season. Immanuel Quickley received just 23 minutes in a game where he recorded 16 points and four assists on 50% shooting.
That included Quickley being benched down the stretch of the fourth quarter, which is where he scored 13 of his points.
On the other hand, head coach Tom Thibodeau continued with his strange tradition of playing veteran sharpshooter Alec Burks as New York’s starting point guard. Despite shooting 4-of-15, Burks was on the court for a whopping 41 minutes, including every minute of the second half.
While many of the issues remained the same, there was one key difference from the week before when the Knicks and Hornets played in North Carolina – the starting power forward.
3 reasons why Obi Toppin should start for the New York Knicks next year
3: Performance as a starter this season
Just over a week ago, New York toppled Charlotte by a score of 121-106. Obi Toppin started the game and finished with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including a team-high plus-minus of +19. The Knicks recorded 30 assists on the night.
A week later, Julius Randle made a couple of early step-back 3-pointers, but shot just 5-of-14 over the remaining 45 minutes of game time. He finished with a plus-minus of -4 as the team recorded only 23 assists.
While his individual numbers don’t match the 20-10-5 that Randle is averaging, Toppin’s efficiency and pace when asked to fill in as a starter have been consistent.
In five appearances with the first unit this year, Toppin’s averaging 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on incredible 61-36-73 shooting splits.
His constant movement off the ball and bursts of speed in transition hasn’t only opened up his offensive arsenal but has allowed for his teammates to attack scrambling defenses.
Target practice 🎯 pic.twitter.com/K0UX9RKF7J
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 26, 2022
In this clip, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson are all worried about Toppin sprinting down the court after a rebound. Their focus is locked on him for a few moments, which allowed for RJ Barrett to trail the play before being rewarded with a wide-open transition three.