Obi Toppin's hard work for Knicks pays off in minutes on court
Obi Toppin of the Knicks dunks the ball in the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on January 24, 2021. Credit: Getty Images/Abbie Parr
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — When the Knicks selected Obi Toppin with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft there were more than a few predictions of immediate impact, entering the league at 22 years old as the reigning NCAA Player of the Year.
His path to the NBA put him on a roster that included six players younger than him — including one, Frank Ntilikina, in his fourth NBA season. But with COVID-19 taking away the opportunity for summer league or fall practices, he found himself often at the end of the bench for the first half of the season, opportunities often ending quickly when a mistake would have him swiveling his head to the bench where he would see Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau signaling what he already knew, that his abbreviated appearance on the floor was over.
"I wouldn’t say it was hard just because I know why I was getting taken out," Toppin said after the Knicks second day of training camp. "I always knew if I was being taken out, it was because I didn’t do something that I’m supposed to do. We obviously don’t want to lose, so if I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do on the court, why keep me in?
"So, simple things like being a low man as someone drives and helping on that, I know I got to be in that spot. And if I’m not in that spot, coach is going to hold me accountable for it. So, I always trust his judgment. He’s a great coach for a reason and I believe in everything he does. So, he was doing it for a reason."
Eventually, the mistakes were cut down and the minutes went up and by the time the Knicks were in the postseason, Toppin was a solid contributor, averaging 6.4 points in 13.1 minutes per game — which might not sound like much, but the minutes were more than he averaged in the regular season.
With work, he found his way into the good graces of the coaching staff and that hasn’t changed now after he made his way into the gym nearly every day this summer, excelling in the Las Vegas Summer League and continuing the workload leading into camp.
"He really worked hard," Thibodeau said. "He never really got down. When you look at his on-off numbers, the second half of the season they were very good. And then in the playoffs I thought the group functioned really well with him, he added a lot to the second unit. Then when the season ended he spent the whole summer here, really worked incredibly hard. … And then he worked all fall. It never stops. Just the way he works I think he’ll continue to improve.
"For me, it’s more of watching the actions. Because oftentimes you get people who will say all the right things and do none of them. The actions tell me how important it is to him and he’s done all the right things. I think his actions reflect his priority. So I knew he was very committed to improve. And I would say that holds true for the entire team. If we’re all doing that, the team will get better. I've always been pleased with his attitude and his approach because I see how he works every day."
His steady improvement and propensity for a highlight reel dunk made it easier for him as a native New Yorker when Madison Square Garden began hosting fans.
"It was amazing. I grew up a Knicks fan," Toppin said. "My grandfather had season tickets all his life. To have that opportunity to be on the court — I’ve been to Knicks games — but to have that opportunity to be on the court and hear [chants of his name] while being on the court, it was crazy. We had a lot of great plays in the playoffs when the crowd went crazy and I’m just sitting there like, we’re in the Garden. They’re chanting our names and stuff. It was a crazy moment."
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.
