Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau has ironic response to Obi Toppin’s slump

Obi Toppin has become a fan favorite in New York due to his exuberant energy off the bench and his signature highlight dunks. Unfortunately, Toppin is still trying to find consistent success. Many fans have attributed his lack of consistency to his lack of playing time which, like everything wrong with the Knicks these days, directs the attention to Tom Thibodeau and whether he really trusts Toppin.

Anyone with two working eyes knows that Thibodeau’s time in New York is nearing its end. No one reasonably expected this Knicks team to be a contender, but the mediocrity that has been on display, especially on the defensive end, is inexcusable. Toppin has struggled as of late, but Thibodeau told reporters that he is “very confident” in Toppin’s abilities, saying that his diligence will help him turn things around.

Obi Toppin continues to be limited by Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau

As expected, the offense has hugely benefitted from the addition of Jalen Brunson and the solid play of Julius Randle. However, everyone not named Brunson or Randle has struggled to find any offensive consistency. Already more than 20 games into the season, this is more than a matter of players having a slow start. Schematically the game plan does not match the personnel on the floor and personally, I’m growing tired of it costing the Knicks winnable games.

It can be argued that Obi Toppin is being hurt by this the most. Toppin was the AP National Player of the Year and Wooden Award winner in 2020 after averaging 20 PPG and 7.5 RPG at Dayton. This season, Toppin is averaging just 7.9 PPG and 3.9 RPG on 42.3% shooting from the field in just 17.5 minutes per game. He’s 10th on the Knicks in MPG.

Obviously, this isn’t all Thibodeau’s fault. Toppin just so happens to play the same position as Randle. That creates a huge dilemma though. It’s a dilemma I only see being solved if Randle is traded at some point. Playing the two of them together seemed to be a makeshift solution that Thibodeau has vehemently resisted. Toppin is shooting an improved 35.1% from three, but that shouldn’t serve as the main source of his touches. Over half of his shots this season have come from behind the arc compared to last season where just a third of his shots were threes. All things point to a misuse of Obi Toppin, and frankly a misuse of this entire roster.

When Toppin first got drafted eighth overall in 2020, many fans like myself rejoiced. I still think Toppin has the potential to be one of the best players from his class, and the Knicks picking up his fourth-year option means they think so too. Other fans say the Knicks should have drafted Tyrese Haliburton who was picked 12th or Tyrese Maxey was who taken 21st to better fill the need of a point guard. Of course, in hindsight that’s easy to say, but Toppin was a projected top five pick and who could have anticipated Randle having the 2020-21 season that he did?

If Thibodeau truly trusted Obi Toppin, I think we’d see him play a lot more. We also wouldn’t see Toppin pulled from the game after the littlest of mistakes while players like Randle have a longer leash. It’s common knowledge that Tom Thibodeau will always place his trust in veterans instead of young players looking to grow. With that being said, Toppin has to play HIS game. Rim runs, pick-and-rolls, and transition outlet passes are what he does best. Is that possible with Thibodeau as coach? For me, it’s an emphatic no.

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