The Knicks selected Obi Toppin out of Dayton with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Toppin was born in Brooklyn and later graduated from Ossining High School.
For Dayton, Toppin emerged as one of the best players in the nation for the 2019-20 college basketball season.
The power forward averaged 20.0 points, 7.5. rebounds, and 2.2 assists. Toppin shot 63.3 percent from the floor for the Flyers. With a 39.0 percentage from long range, Toppin can also shoot the 3-ball with accuracy.
The selection was the first major roster move for the new regime under Team President Leon Rose, Vice President William Wesley, general manager Scott Perry and head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“As one of the highest ranked players on our draft board, Obi was someone we really coveted,” Knicks president Leon Rose said via the team. “He’s an explosive athlete and one of the most dynamic players in college basketball, which earned him the Naismith Player of the Year honors. Just as importantly, he’s also a high character individual with a tremendous work ethic.”
Toppin’s a skilled offensive player, his college highlights are peppered with breakaway dunks.
The flip side to the coin with Toppin is his defense, that’s been the knock to his game. Head coach Tom Thibodeau, however, is the ideal coach to help develop the 22-year old, specifically on the defensive side.
Toppin was projected in numerous mock drafts as a top-five pick. The board, however, broke the right way for the Knicks. They had Toppin high on their draft board and there was speculation they’d look to trade up to get him.
Image: John Minchillo / AP
