Obi Toppin, Knicks can't get much going against Thunder
Knicks forward Obi Toppin (1) goes to the basket between Oklahoma City Thunder center Derrick Favors, left, and center Aleksej Pokusevski (17) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Oklahoma City. Credit: AP/Sue Ogrocki
When Julius Randle went into the NBA’s health and safety protocols Thursday, it was a huge hit for the Knicks. They lost their leading scorer, a second-team All-NBA star who carried them last season.
Then, as the Knicks readied for Friday night’s game against the host Thunder, they lost Kemba Walker to a sore knee.
This provided an opportunity for Obi Toppin and Miles McBride, making their first career starts, to show what they can do in a prime-time role. And what it mostly showed is that the Knicks still need their veterans.
Struggling to find any offensive production without their two primary playmakers, the Knicks fell to the young and rebuilding Thunder, 95-80, at the Paycom Center. The Knicks (17-19) were outscored 44-31 in the second half.
Randle has struggled to regain his 2020-21 form this season, confounding his staunchest supporters. For his critics, this absence presents an opportunity.
Randle led the NBA in minutes per game last season and ranks 14th this season, so there has been little chance to see what 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.
On this night, he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, shooting 1-for-4 in 27:19. He had five points and seven rebounds.
McBride, who excelled defensively in Detroit on Wednesday even as he didn’t score a point, could not generate much. RJ Barrett was the lone offensive force, scoring 26 points.
"This is the first time all of us played together on the court, the starting five we had today," Toppin said. "We had to find a rhythm. With everything that’s going on, people dropping, new people in the starting lineup, we haven’t played with each other . . . This game, it was a winnable game. We just needed a lot more energy, a lot more fight."
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 for the Thunder (13-22), who shot 18-for-43 from three-point range. The Knicks were 8-for-41.
Down nine to start the fourth quarter, the Knicks got a quick three-pointer from Kevin Knox and another from Immanuel Quickley. But that was all they had as OKC ran off 10 straight points.
The play that started it — a missed shot on which the Thunder scrambled and got the rebound, leading to a three-pointer by Aleksej Pokusevsk — was where TomThibodeau saw the game slip away.
"I like that we actually started the game pretty well," Thibodeau said. "Our bench came in, we lost the rhythm that we had established with the bench the past few games, it’s choppy right now. Then I thought in the fourth quarter we had that one possession that really hurt us when we had cut it to three and gave up the offensive rebound and they got the dagger three off that. Right now we’re shorthanded, we have to play hard as heck every play . . . We played a low-energy game. You can’t do that."
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," 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."
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. Entering Friday, the Knicks were plus-123 with Toppin on the floor. In a starting role with more minutes, will that continue? Not on this night.
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.
