Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is finally hinting that he is close to spinning his debut lottery song Obi Toppin – probably for Kevin Knox.
Tuesday’s win over Washington could have been the last break for the regressing Dayton dunker instead of progressing.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Thibodeau said after blowing the wizards, 131-113. “It’s not uncommon for beginners to go through such things. We just want to keep working. He was very good in practice. In fact, he played very well in practice. You just have to keep working. He will learn, he will grow. It will get better. “
The losing streak is now unbeaten in five straight games – against Brooklyn, Philly, Orlando, Philly and Washington. Option no. 8 of the November draft is a minus-34 in these 35 minutes. On Tuesday, he was 0-for-2 in eight minutes, including a triple with air balls.
Toppin’s air ball trifers are becoming more commonplace than they are. But he also doesn’t look at the basket as much – he only made eight hits in the five games, missing them all.
Toppin, 23, missed Madness in March last season due to the pandemic and is now going through a March frenzy.
All-Star Julius Randle thought hard enough to console Toppin on the bench in the Wizards game after Knox, out of rotation, received the final 1:40 garbage time prize.
“I’m just trying to build trust in him,” Randle said. “As a beginner, it’s hard to learn the game, to see the game, the ins and outs of what you need to do to make an impact on the game. As a young player coming, the great thing is to know who you are as a player and how you can help the team. He comes, he works extremely hard. He has to keep his confidence, to maintain himself and he will be a very good player in this league. ”
Tuesday in the garden was Toppin’s ass. The fourth quarter was a perfect step for him to get minutes.
But Toppin lasted 4:28 before being fired. He missed a 7-meter change and committed two fouls, and Thibodeau put Randle back in the blast. Knox moped at the end while Toppin sat.
Some NBA researchers believe that Thibodeau stayed with Toppin for so long for political reasons – loyalty to President Leon Rose, who hired him. It would be bad not to play Rose’s popular lottery, which has an average of 4.1 points.
In Toppin’s defense, he had no summer leagues or voluntary scrimmages a few weeks before training camp due to the pandemic. On the other hand, it is not said whether Toppin’s stock would have fallen if NBA scouts saw his holes in the Atlantic 10 Tournament or the NCAA Tournament – both canceled in March last year.
After the game, Thibodeau, when discussing Randle’s 3-point appearance this season, said, “Having a stretch of four is a must in today’s game.”
Toppin doesn’t look like this guy – not even in college. Its 3-point percentage is 29.8%. Worse, he aired seven of the 20 corner attempts 3.
Knox, the 2018 Knicks lottery choice, has been out of rotation since the end of January. He was recruited by the former guard of former President Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry, former coach David Fizdale and Perry’s best scouts who were released, GM Assistant Gerald Madkins and Personnel Director Harold Ellis.
But now it might be Knox’s time, even if, sources said, Thibodeau doesn’t like his defensive engine.