Obi Toppin eager to get back to helping Knicks
Obi Toppin of the Knicks takes a shot over Jahlil Okafor of the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 11, 2020, in Detroit. Credit: Getty Images/Gregory Shamus
In another time, when there were real fans instead of just a soundtrack pumped into Madison Square Garden, there likely would have been applause, maybe even a standing ovation, when Obi Toppin entered the game in the second quarter Wednesday night.
The Knicks’ lottery pick had not played since the opener three weeks earlier as he rehabilitated a strained right calf. He took the floor against the Nets and, almost before a real crowd would have been back in its seats, Toppin was in his — lifted from the game after 57 seconds.
"I was unsure if I was going to play him just because he hasn’t practiced and so I saw an opportunity where I thought I might be able to get him in for a couple minutes just to sort of shake some rust off and see where he is conditioning-wise," coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game, explaining the quick hook.
"I didn’t like the matchups and we were getting pounded on the boards, so I changed to get Julius [Randle] back in there just so we could get going. I was concerned about how the game was going at that particular point. I felt like that was going to be a good possibility. But I also felt if I got an opportunity to get him in, I was going to try to do that."
With that test passed — even if it was just a one-question exam — Toppin was back on the floor at practice Thursday as the Knicks prepared for Friday night’s game at Cleveland. This time the workload was harder, and Toppin said he feels secure that he is ready to go when called on.
"My mentality is just to be ready when Coach calls my name," he said. "I put in a lot of work every single day to help my game, and when the time comes for me to step on that court, I’ll be ready."
While the physical portion of the game was put on hold, Toppin said he worked on the mental part of the NBA game.
The seating plan at NBA games is different from ever before, with COVID-19 protocols requiring teams to have set seating charts to facilitate contact tracing and limit interactions between different groups of players and staff.
But it’s likely no accident that Toppin has been placed in a seat next to assistant coach Kenny Payne.
"Yes, I sit right next to KP every game," Toppin said. "So every game, even when I was sitting out, every single game he’s in my ear, like, ‘Did you see that? How can you help in that situation?’ Or ‘If you ran the floor, what would happen? The defense would collapse.’ Little things like that, he’ll stay in my ear 24/7, and even when I was playing in preseason, he was doing the same exact thing. He’s pushing me to another level to be great, and I appreciate him for that."
Toppin, while watching film on his own, also has learned a lesson — to simply play his game at the pace that made him the NCAA Player of the Year last season.
"I watched a lot. I learned a lot," he said. "One of the main things was knowing my pace to a game — knowing when to be fast, when to slow down, when to examine the court.
"I learned to play at the same pace that I was playing when I was in college. Slow down and basically just go with the flow. Don’t be out there rushing and doing things that I’m not 100% good at. Know my strengths and just dominate at those things every single game."
Notes & quotes: Reggie Bullock (sore right hip) is questionable for Friday’s game. Alec Burks (sprained left ankle) is doubtful. Frank Ntilikina (sprained right knee) is out.
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.
