For a few nights of this season, Obi Toppin looked like a Knicks rogue with better chances with the Warriors versus the Tuesday before the 2000 Garden crowd.
Was it a coincidence that this was the first night fans were allowed in the garden, including Brooklyn with her parents, Ronnie and Obidia Toppin?
“He had an amazing time,” Toppin said after hosting the Knock on Thursday after he shot Sacramento. “She said she had tears in her eyes when she saw me walking in court.” Just like my mother is – she is very emotional. But my mother, my dad, my girlfriend – they were all in the garden to see me playing the other day. He enjoyed it very much. “
It was a lot of fun. In most games of this season, the Knicks’ other rogue, Emanuel Quickley, stole the spotlight and gained more minutes, although 17 spots were later drafted.
Toppin, the Nucks’ lottery at No. 8, can now slowly emerge ahead of Dayton as an athletic power forward who can score in a variety of ways.
Toppin said, “I feel like I’m not completely 100 percent better now than before, but I think I’m getting better.” “I think the game is starting to slow down a little bit more for me. I’m starting to know my role. When I go in, I know what I’m going to have to do to help the team win. It’s in the league. It’s my first year. As every game comes forward I got to learn from every mistake and get better. “
Against Golden State, the Dayton dunk machine was 3-for-3 in 13 minutes, showing variety. He downed a beautiful alley-top pass from Alec Burke, which was thrown a little short. He took a left hook shot inside. And he banged in a dominant 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter.
He did not look lost in a few moments this season.
“I think there was a lot of energy with fans in the beginning,” Toppin said. “It definitely felt very good. My parents and girlfriend saw me playing in the garden. We came to the Knicks (as a child) in every game.”
Perhaps this is the moment – with center start Mitchell Robinson still amputating his broken hand – Knicks coach Tom Thibodo will increase Toppin’s minutes and Toppin-Julius Randall will try for the frontcourt.
Thibodo has gone almost exclusively with a Nerlens Noel-Taj Gibson center tandem, but the Knicks need more scoring from the center position. Noel has also been nursing an ankle from all the minutes he logged since Robinson went down six games ago.
“Coach [Thibodeau] Is a great coach. “When it comes time to step on the court, especially with Jules, coaches will never put us in a position to fail. If he throws me and Jules into the mix and is in the frontcourt together, we’ll get the job done and do it well. “
Toppin was not asked about Kings rookie point guard Tyres Haliburton, whom the Knicks passed for Toppin and is weaving a solid season.
In January, Haliburton burned the Knicks in Sacramento with 16 points and four blocks in the Kings victory.
Later, Haliburton trolled Nux on social media drinking the cartoon character Tea with Kermit the Frog Mem. It is known as a symbol for the misfortune of another party during elections.
The season is only 32 games old and still has a lot of tea to drink.
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