Knicks select Obi Toppin with No. 8 pick
With the No. 8 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks have selected Dayton standout Obi Toppin.
The high-flying big man was an unheralded high school prospect before he electrified the college basketball scene during his two years with the Flyers. Toppin was the No. 1 option on one of the nation's top squads this past season. The 22-year-old averaged 20 points, 7.5 boards, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks en route to earning Naismith Player of the Year honors.
The All-American forward was remarkably efficient throughout his time at Dayton, finishing each of his collegiate seasons within the NCAA's top 10 for field-goal percentage. Toppin has arguably the best resume among this year's lottery prospects and should immediately contribute offensively at the next level.
Toppin will have his growing pains defensively but he's spent the past several months working on his lateral movement with several NBAers and other draft prospects.
"Having those different styles of play and playing against those guys has been helping me a lot, especially for defense. ... Guarding a lot of the guards helped me a lot because of how fast they are and how shifty they are," Toppin told reporters, including theScore, during his recent NBA draft media availability. "I have to be able to keep up, and if not, I'll be exposed."
Bio
Position: F/C
School: Dayton
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 220 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-11
Max vertical: N/A
Strengths
- Offensive threat in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop actions
- Elite finisher at the rim; he led all players with 107 dunks last season
- Explosive leaping ability
- Big-game player; he averaged 22.3 points on nearly 70% shooting at last year's Maui Invitational
- Runs the floor well in transition
- Has floor-spacing potential; he shot 41.7% on 1.6 triples per game in college
Weaknesses
- A bit undersized, especially when used as a small-ball five
- Struggles to hold his ground against physical, back-to-the-basket big men
- Poor footwork gets exposed when guarding players on the perimeter
- One of the oldest players in the draft