The two first rounds of the Knicks received major validations prior to and during Friday’s preseason finale.
Rookie forward Obi Toppin came third in the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year award in NBA.com’s annual survey of general managers.
Point guard Immanuel Quickley also looks like he plans to work his way into that conversation, moving to the starting lineup and scoring 22 points with five assists and five steals, while the Knicks closed a 3-1 preseason with a 119-83 runaway victory over the Cavaliers in the Garden.
“I’ve loved his approach from the moment we pitched him,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau before the game over Quickley. ‘He’s a great worker, he’s a smart guy. A great shooter. We still haven’t seen him do what he does best, which is shoot the ball. Just a confident man.
“A lot of people thought he couldn’t play the ball and he has shown that he has a lot of confidence in the ball. And so he grew up. He played point when he was growing up. He didn’t play the point that much in Kentucky, but they played a three-guard system. So I think with the way he handles things, the challenge is going to be big every night. I think missing Summer League and fall practice and stuff, he responded really well. He prepares well. He’s a student of the game. He’s been great. “
Kevin Knox nailed 6-of-7 3-pointers and scored 20 points, RJ Barrett finished 15, and Mitchell Robinson contributed eight points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Knicks, who open their regular season in Indiana on Wednesday. Reggie Bullock added 17 points and Julius Randle had 11 with a team high of eight assists.
Toppin, the eighth overall selection in the Dayton draft, was relatively quiet, with six points and six rebounds in 27 minutes.
Earlier in the day, however, 22-year-old Toppin took third place in the general managers’ Rookie of the Year predictions with 18 percent of the vote, most notably ahead of Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves (7). per cent). Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball led the list with 39 percent, followed by Warriors center James Wiseman (29 percent).
‘Those polls and forecasts are virtually pointless. I just want him to keep approaching it like he has – come in every day, work as hard as you can, try to improve every day, ”said Thibodeau. “It is often small steps a player takes and that is the way I want him to do it. Then he looks back and sees that he has made a huge leap forward. “
Toppin also received votes in the category where rookie will be the best NBA player in five years, finishing seventh, with Wiseman at the top of that list with 36 percent. And he was in fifth for the ‘greatest feat he was selected in the draft,’ behind Kings Tyrese Haliburton (12th), Pistons ‘Saddiq Bey (19th), Pelicans’ Kira Lewis Jr. (13th) and the 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (21st).
Toppin and Quickley were part of a youthful quintet – also featuring Barrett, Robinson and Knox – that concluded Wednesday’s comeback win over the Cavs. Quickley, the 25th overall choice from Kentucky, finished Wednesday with nine points and seven assists in 24 minutes.
Quickley started Friday with guards Elfrid Payton (hamstring), Dennis Smith Jr. (quad), Austin Rivers (groin) and Frank Ntilikina (Achilles) who all held out for what Thibodeau said was a precaution.
The rookie started fast, buried two early 3-pointers to bring in 15 points, while the Knicks raced to a 72-35 lead and never looked back.