With Julius Randle sidelined, Obi Toppin gets his chance to start

When Julius Randle went into the NBA’s health and safety protocols Thursday, it signaled a huge hit for the Knicks. They lost their leading scorer, a second-team All-NBA star who carried them last season.

They also lost a player who has struggled to regain that form this season, confounding his staunchest supporters. For Randle's critics, this absence presents an opportunity.

Randle led the NBA in minutes per game last season and ranks 14th even through his problems this season, so there has been little chance to see what Obi Toppin can be.

Toppin, the high-flying lottery pick now in his second season, has had little opportunity to actually fly on the court. His soaring finishes on lobs and his between-the-legs dunks may get him on the highlight reels, but his minutes have remained sparse as he waits for time behind Randle.

He averaged just 11 minutes per game last season, and while the number has risen to 15 this season, he had never started a game before Friday night against the Thunder.

Even with the NBA reducing the requirements for a player to return to action from health and safety protocols, Randle remains in quarantine alone on the road for at least the remainder of this road trip, presenting the first chances for Toppin.

"Obviously when you lose players like that, you don’t replace them individually," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "You have to do it collectively. You have to understand what goes into winning. The big thing I would say is the defense and the rebounding, keeping our turnovers down. That responsibility falls upon everybody. If we do that, it’s going to put us in position to win. I think we’re trending in the right direction in terms of our defense; we’ve got to continue to work on it.

"Then just understand what your job is. Go in there and do your job. No one’s going to be Julius. They just have to go in there, play to their strengths, cover up their weaknesses and help us execute."

What the Knicks will get in this extended look remains to be seen.

Randle is averaging 19.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists but has struggled with his shooting (41.7% overall, 32.8% from three-point range), playing far below last season's performance offensively and looking listless on the other end.

Toppin has remained a work in progress — a visible burst of energy every time he steps on the floor but with none of the versatility that Randle provides. Toppin has shot 21.6% from beyond the arc this season and hands out one assist per game. His defense has improved, but he still is prone to mistakes that set Thibodeau off.

Still, whatever the reason — injury, illness or new faces alongside him — the Knicks are 22.3 points per 100 possessions worse with Randle on the court, a figure amplified by the numbers with Toppin on the court, nearly a complete opposite of Randle’s figures. Randle’s plus/minus is a minus-137 this season. The Knicks are a plus-123 with Toppin on the floor. In a starting role with more minutes, will that continue?

"He had a great summer," Thibodeau said of Toppin. "Put a lot of extra time in, puts a lot of time in with film work. So his offense, obviously, he’s finishing a lot better. His defense is improving. His all-around play, how he fits into a team, too. His athleticism, obviously, running the floor, we see that, putting pressure on the rim.

"But his unselfishness in getting the ball moving side to side, everyone likes playing with him. You get rhythm. And that’s one of his strengths. Then the defensive part is something he’s continued to work on. Like all young players, you come in, you have to learn the league, you have to learn the schemes. I think as he’s gone through it more and more, he’s getting better and better at it."

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

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.