The Indiana Pacers Will Unlock Obi Toppin’s Potential…

Obi Toppin has spent his three years in the league so far stuck behind Julius Randle for the Knicks starting power forward spot. Despite Topping going 8th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, coach Thibs refused to play him and Randle together, and with Randle making two all-star games in the past three seasons, that has relegated Obi to the bench. That has really limited what we’ve been able to see. His career high in minutes per game is just 17 and his career high in points per game is just 9, both of which came in his sophomore season. Due to this log jam and the inability to let Toppin shine, the Knicks front office gave in and traded Toppin to the Indiana Pacers on July 7th. For a long time many Knicks fans would’ve rather traded Randle than Toppin, but after another all-star season last year they just couldn’t really trade Randle. So you might be thinking, hey this is a guy that’s been a bench player for three years, it feels like an inconsequential trade for Indiana. But that’s where you’d be wrong. Toppin went so high in the draft for a reason. And that would be because of his absurd athleticism, his ability as a lob threat, and even to space the floor on open looks. While the Knicks often missed him on lob opportunities, Tyrese Haliburton will not. The young Pacers star is arguably the best facilitator in the entire NBA, and Toppin is the perfect pairing with him. It could end up looking a lot like John Collins’ earlier days in Atlanta. It’s not a huge sample, but Toppin shined without Randle in the lineup over the last couple years. In 15 games, Obi put up 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 44% from three on 6 attempts per game. He was phenomenal, and Indiana presents just about the perfect opportunity for that. And the Pacers needed a power forward badly, they started Aaron Nesmith a bunch of games there last season, and let’s be honest he’s really a shooting guard. The Indiana Pacers will unlock Obi Toppin’s potential, and he could be the next Lauri Markkanen, Jalen Brunson or Mikal Bridges, who all shined with more opportunity.

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#indianapacers #tyresehaliburton #obitoppin