Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is finally dropping hints that he is about to pull rookie lottery pick Obi Toppin out of rotation – probably for Kevin Knox.
Tuesday’s Washington eruption could have been the final straw for the Dayton dunker who is backsliding instead of making progress.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Thibodeau said after blowing out the Wizards, 131-113. “It’s not uncommon for rookies to experience these kinds of things. We just want him to keep working. He is very good at practice. He actually played very well in practice. He just has to keep working. He will learn, he will grow. He will get better. “
The lost-looking power forward is now winless in five consecutive games – against Brooklyn, Philly, Orlando, Philly and Washington. The number 8 pick in November’s draft is a total of -34 in those 35 minutes. On Tuesday, he went 0-for-2 in eight minutes, including a 3-pointer with an air ball.
Toppin’s 3-pointers are becoming more common than brands. But he also doesn’t look at the basket that often – he’s only made eight shots in the five games, but misses them all.
Toppin, 23, missed March Madness last season due to the pandemic and now he’s going through a maddening March.
All-Star Julius Randle thought enough to comfort Toppin on the couch in the Wizards game after the out-of-rotation Knox got the last 1:40 trash time.
“I’m just trying to give him confidence,” Randle said. “As a rookie it’s hard to learn the game, see the game, the ins and outs of what you have to do to influence the game. As a young player coming in, the most important thing is knowing who you are as a player and how to help the team. He comes along, works very hard. He has to maintain his confidence, hold on and he will be a really good player in this league. “
Tuesday at the Garden was Toppin’s low point. The fourth quarter was a perfect stage for him to get minutes.
But Toppin lasted 4:28 before being pulled. He missed a 7-foot turnaround and committed two errors, and Thibodeau put Randle back in the blowout. Knox swept away at the end while Toppin sat.
Some NBA scouts believe Thibodeau stuck with Toppin for so long for political reasons – loyalty to President Leon Rose, who hired him. It would look bad not to play Rose’s prized lottery pick, which averages 4.1 points.
In Toppin’s defense, he didn’t have a summer competition or voluntary scrimmages a few weeks before training camp because of the pandemic. On the other hand, there’s no telling if Toppin’s draft stock would have gone down had NBA scouts seen his holes in the Atlantic 10 Tournament or NCAA Tournament – both canceled last March.
After the game, Thibodeau said, speaking of Randle’s 3-point rise this season, “a stretch four is a necessity in today’s game.”
Toppin doesn’t look like that type – nor in college. His percentage of 3 points is 29.8 percent. Worse still, he’s got seven of his twenty 3 corner tries in the air.
Knox, the 2018 Knicks lottery pick, has been out of rotation since late January. He was called in by the old guard of former president Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry, former coach David Fizdale and Perry’s top scouts who were fired, assistant GM Gerald Madkins and human resources director Harold Ellis.
But now it may be Knox’s time, even if, according to sources, Thibodeau doesn’t like his bike on the defensive side.