Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is finally hinting that he is close to removing the lottery newcomer Obi Toppin from rotation – probably to Kevin Knox.
Tuesday’s broken victory over Washington may have been the last straw for Dayton Dunker, who is regressing rather than progressing.
“Let’s see what happens,” said Thibodeau after blowing the Wizards, 131-113. “It is not uncommon for newbies to experience such things. We just want him to keep working. He has been very good in practice. In fact, he played very well in practice. He just has to keep working. He will learn, he will grow. It will get better. “
The striker who looked to defeat now has no goals in five consecutive games – against Brooklyn, Philly, Orlando, Philly and Washington. Choice 8 in the November draft is an aggregate of minus-34 in those 35 minutes. On Tuesday, he scored 0 every 2 minutes, including a 3-point ball.
Toppin’s 3 air ball points are becoming more common than manufacturers. But he is also not looking at the basket very much – he only made eight shots in five games, missing them all.
Toppin, 23, lost March Madness last season because of the pandemic and now he is going through a crazy March.
All-Star Julius Randle thought hard enough to comfort Toppin on the bench in the Wizards game after Knox out of rotation was awarded 1:40 of final trash time.
“I’m just trying to inspire confidence in him,” said Randle. “As a novice, it is difficult to learn the game, see the game, the details of what you need to do to impact the game. As a young player, the important thing is to know who you are as a player and how you can help the team. He’s coming, he works very hard. He has to maintain his confidence, persist and he will be a very good player in this league. “
Tuesday at the Garden was Toppin’s rock bottom. The fourth half was configured as a perfect stage for him to set the minutes.
But Toppin lasted 4:28 before being pulled. He missed a 2.1-meter turn and committed two fouls, and Thibodeau put Randle back on target. Knox wiped it off at the end, while Toppin sat down.
Some NBA scouts believe that Thibodeau spent so long with Toppin for political reasons – loyalty to President Leon Rose, who hired him. It would be bad not to play in Rose’s award-winning lottery pick, which averages 4.1 points.
In defense of Toppin, he had no summer league or friendly games a few weeks before the training camp because of the pandemic. On the other hand, there is no way to say whether Toppin’s stock would have fallen if NBA scouts saw their holes in the Atlantic 10 Tournament or the NCAA Tournament – both canceled last March.
After the game, Thibodeau, when discussing Randle’s rise by three points this season, said: “having a four-leg extension is a must in today’s game.”
Toppin doesn’t look like that guy – and he didn’t look like in college, either. Its percentage of 3 points is 29.8%. Worse, he swung the ball in the air in seven of his 20 corner attempts by 3.
Knox, the Knicks 2018 lottery pick, has been out of the loop since late January. He was summoned by former guard Steve Mills’ old guard, GM Scott Perry, former coach David Fizdale and Perry’s top scouts who were dismissed, GM assistant Gerald Madkins and personnel director Harold Ellis.
But now it may be Knox’s time, even though, the sources said, Thibodeau doesn’t like his engine on the defensive end.