New York Knicks: One stat shows how rattled Obi Toppin was in first NBA game

December 25, 2020

The New York Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers 107-121 in the season opener. The Knicks were always underdogs entering this contest, and with new head coach Tom Thibodeau still trying to figure out the best starting five, I don’t expect things to get any easier in the near future.

Of course, the injury to Immanuel Quickley, which could keep them out for one-two weeks, is extremely devastating for a team that lacks a point guard with zest. Elfrid Payton is about average and offers glimpses of quality, but has not been able to provide solid performances consistently. Quickley offered something new at the position for the Knicks, a player who stretches the floor and utilize his youth and athleticism to his advantage. I believed that the Kentucky product would start the season at PG, but with just 12 minutes under his name, he was forced out.

The offensive leader in the contest for New York was RJ Barrett, who was 8-for-8 in the first half and finished 11-of-15, hitting all of his three-pointers, earning 26 points. Eighth overall pick Obi Toppin had a tough start to his career, finishing 3-of-12 with nine points. He displayed his speed and athleticism on the core on multiple occasions, but he was simply uncomfortable in his first NBA regular-season game. He will get better as he adapts to other players’ physicality, but he did one interesting thing that stood out in the loss.

Toppin hoisted seven three-pointers in the contest, hitting on three. Last year with Dayton, he averaged just 2.6 three-point attempts per contest, so this interesting statistic from his first game stood out.

“I’m just trying to find the flow of the game,’’ Toppin said. “And those were the spots I found. I think I had a couple inside shots but I rushed it a lot. I’m still learning. This is my first real season game and I have a lot to learn. So I’m going to take my time and allow everybody to give me feedback on the team and just learn from it.”

The New York Knicks need to help Toppin calm his nerves during in the Home Opener:

Obi admitted that he was a bit overzealous in his first game, but that was to be expected. There are a lot of expectations riding on his shoulders as the eighth overall pick, but I believe he is preparing to take gradual steps forward throughout the season. He’s too athletically gifted and dominant in transition to stagnate.

“I don’t feel perfect, but I feel all right,’’ Toppin said. “It was a learning experience. All of us have to get better at what we’re doing on the court and trust each other and trust what the coach is telling us.”

Share: 
Mentioned in this article:

More about: