1 stud and 1 dud from Knicks’ dominant preseason win over Pacers

After blowing out the Pistons in their preseason opener on Tuesday, the New York Knicks had a bit of a repeat performance Friday night as they took down the Indiana Pacers, 131-114.

This was a great game on both ends of the ball, with many players performing at a fantastic level. Obviously, it is just the preseason, but it is hard not to be excited about what we have seen from New York thus far.

While most players performed well, two players stood out. One stood out in a good way, and the other not so much. I’m not saying that you should be worried about said player, as again, it is the preseason. However, it is still odd to see this player not perform at a good level.

The Knicks’ bench did a lot of the dirty work this game, with multiple starters having rather inefficient performances. Regardless, they got the job done and gave the Knicks their second blowout victory of the preseason.

Obi Toppin was absolutely electric for the Knicks

After a mediocre preseason opener in which he only dropped eight points, Obi Toppin bounced back in a huge way on Friday. He dropped 24 points, three rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 10-14 from the field and 4-7 from three.

Toppin was also responsible for possibly the best play of the night, as after blocking an opposing jump shot, Toppin sprinted down the court and hit a filthy Eastbay dunk with T.J. McConnell trailing.

Toppin was absolutely electric, providing several exciting dunks while also shooting his constantly improving three-point shot. With the run Toppin went on towards the end of last season, it is seeming more and more likely that we will see him make a pretty big leap as a player this year.

We have seen a lot of talk about New York wanting to increase its pace this season, and this is clearly something Toppin took to heart as he made sure to really push the tempo on breaks.

Something we Knicks fans can always rely on Toppin for are his exciting and flashy dunks. While he certainly brought those out this game, it was very nice to watch him hit four threes.

If Toppin continues to make improvements like we have seen him do in his first two seasons, he could potentially force a sticky situation with New York’s coaching staff in regards to starting him or Julius Randle at the four.

Despite this, and the Knicks’ blowout victory, not everyone on the team had a game as good as Toppin. As we are about to see, one of the starters had a rather disappointing game.

Knicks’ Cam Reddish had yet another stinker in the preseason

I am going to be a bit more lenient on Cam Reddish this game, as he was likely still dealing with the injury that he suffered in the Knicks’ game on Tuesday.

Regardless, this is the second bad game in a row out of Reddish. In two preseason games, he has a total of nine points, three assists, and three rebounds while shooting 2-11 from the field and 1-5 from three.

Reddish was already seemingly in coach Thibodeau’s “dog house” last season and potentially will still be this season. Considering that Reddish played quite poorly when Thibs finally gave him the chance to start, it could be a long season for the 23-year-old.

We all know the potential that Reddish has given his size, athleticism, and skillset. However, throughout the first three seasons of his career, he has yet to put it all together.

It will be interesting to see how much weight these preseason games have on Thibs’ decision regarding Reddish’s spot on the depth chart and how much the former lottery pick will play this season.

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