No time frame for Obi Toppin's return to Knicks
Knicks forward Obi Toppin drives past Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Thursday will mark two weeks since Obi Toppin suffered a non-displaced fracture of the right fibula head, but no return seems imminent.
“He’s feeling a little better,” Knicks coach tom Thibodeau said. “That’s a good sign. Let him work through it and when he’s ready to go he’s ready to go.”
But Toppin is not doing any on-court work yet.
“No, he’s in the pool right now,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what he’s doing.”
And what the Knicks have done in his absence — winning all five games entering Tuesday night since he was sidelined — puts no rush on a return for the third-year forward. The Knicks have made up for his minutes with additional work from RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, but also getting second-unit minutes with a frontcourt combination of centers Jericho Sims and Isaiah Hartenstein.
“The most important thing is the winning,” Thibodeau said Sunday of the defensive addition of Sims at power forward. “So the big lineup has really helped us in terms of rebounding and we’ve actually scored very well with that group.”
Durable goods
Golden State was without Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins Tuesday, while the Knicks took the court for the 31st straight game with their trio of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett in the starting lineup.
“Every year is different with injuries and that kind of stuff,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “Continuity is important. We’ve been lucky to have longterm continuity. Sounds redundant but just having a group that’s been together for a while is really helpful. And then if youre lucky enough to stay healthy during a season with your core guys it’s easier to get out of the rough patches and you’re more likely to stay away from them altogether.”
Moment of silence
A moment of silence was held at Madison Square Garden for former Knick Louis Orr, who died on Thursday.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
