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The New York Knicks are one of the teams of interest heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, and while the New York Knicks are always on fans' lips, the attention is real and a cultural shift is happening with the New York Knicks. Obi Toppin, the 8th pick in the 2020 NBA draft, is a young player with so much physical talent, and as he heads into his second season in the NBA, what does he need to do to crack the New York Knicks' starting lineup and become the star he was drafted to become?
New York Knicks optimism
After a regular season that gave Madison Square Garden and its fans a charge, the New York Knicks are looking to continue a winning trend. It's been so long since the New York Knicks were relevant, and the NBA is better when the New York Knicks are competitive. No one is talking NBA championship, yet what the New York Knicks can do this season is threaten for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. To do that, it's imperative that the New York Knicks' young players improve on what they accomplished in 2021.
The emergence of Obi Toppin
Derrick Rose was a key piece in the New York Knicks resurgence last season, and his veteran leadership is what is needed most by the young players on the team. While they may look at Derrick Rose as an NBA legend, an example of his resilience has to be a teaching tool for New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. A 6'9" 220 pound 23 year old out of Dayton, Obi Toppin had an ok rookie season, yet there is much to improve on. He seemed lost at times despite all the prowess expected out of the Brooklyn native, and besides the X's and O's, what will make Obi Toppin's ascension on the New York Knicks roster is a boost in confidence that pervades the entire season. He has all the tools to become a star in the NBA, yet it's all up to him.
Confidence
Obi Toppin was a much different player in the NBA Summer League after a strong showing in the NBA playoffs. He averaged 21 points and eight rebounds and showed the swagger that made him the National Player of the Year at Dayton. One advantage Obi Toppin has is his athleticism, and during the summer, he exploited that advantage. He is a dynamic physical player who simply needs to separate himself from his draft peers by continuing to work harder. That is expected under such a hardline coach in Tom Thibodeau. In a little over 11 minutes last season, Toppin averaged four points and two boards. That had to be an adjustment being he was such an offensive force in the nation at Dayton, yet the boost in confidence this summer should carry over.
Working on his offense
Toppin and Immanuel Quickley worked out together hard (often 2 times a day) this offseason, so New York Knicks fans should be cautiously optimistic that Obi Tobbin will be ready for 2021-22. He also worked with New York-based trainer Dave Zenon - who has worked with NBA bigs to develop and expand their games. Toppin is great in transition, yet that's a minimal part of how to win as a team and be successful individually in the NBA. Fast break points count; but so does movement in offensive sets and precise execution when the heat is NBA hottest in the fourth quarter. With Coach Thibodeau at the helm, there is no way Obi Tobbin won't improve - unless he is the reason he doesn't improve. There are many distractions for a player born in New York, and the fact that he and Quickley worked out in White Plains, where there are minimal distractions, proves Obi Toppin is incentivized to improve.
Improving defensively
Obi Toppin isn't any different than most players with tremendous upsides coming into the NBA. The focus just isn't defense, and many players shrivel and never even become average defenders. His defensive rating of 108.3 -- which isn't bad -- would have been tied with Bam Adebayo if Toppin qualified by playing more minutes. To play in Coach Thibodeau's rotation, one must play at least a semblance of defense, and this is where Obi Toppin can make the biggest impression on the New York Knicks this season. He was not seen as a defender in college, yet must break the trend of some of his peers and focus on defense. In the NBA, the league is all about scoring and scoring big. How is that neutralized? By playing consistently tough defense.
The additions of Evan Founier and particularly point guard Kemba Walker should help Obi Toppin tremendously. The aforementioned weapon he is in transition will be fortified on the break with Walker and Fournier, and even though Derrick Rose is getting up there in age, he should also be able to gift Obi Toppin on the wing and at the cup for lobs. Is that the player Obi Toppin want's to be? Just a player who dunks on the break? No, and the only way he can shed the potential bust tag is to work the hardest he's ever had to work just to become a starter on offense. The bench in any sport is a lonely and very disappointing place to be, and as Brooklyn's son grows in Manhattan, it's a foregone conclusion that Obi Toppin has become one of New York's finest.
Guess the Lakers players!
