A change of team can transform the fortunes of an athlete. There are many instances of an NBA player failing to make the main rotation in one team while nailing a big role in another. With different coaching and management styles, a player’s future is not only incumbent on talent alone. That’s why there can be a lot of bitter feelings when management cannot fulfill the player’s desires. Not playing enough minutes impacts the stats and the potential to sign a bigger contract than the existing one.

Obi Toppin faced such a situation with the New York Knicks. He opens up about it but then decides otherwise.

Obi Toppin flips but says it all

In July, the Knicks traded him to the Pacers for two future second-round draft picks. Now, he is playing alongside Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner.

The Forward showed much promise during his tenure, but the Knicks didn’t want to invest in him further. In his first three seasons, the Forward didn’t even average 20 minutes per game. Instead of seeing an uptick after posting 9 points and about 4 rebounds in the 2021-22 season, his numbers fizzled. He averaged below eight points and three rebounds, as his minutes didn’t see an increase. This is somewhat surprising, considering they selected him with the eighth pick in the 2020 draft.

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For many Knicks faithful, he should have been given more opportunities, but the Knicks coaching staff led by Tom Thibodeau thought otherwise. The Forward himself believes that he was robbed by the Knicks. He shared an Instagram story by a user who posted a photo of his mind-boggling dunk in the preseason game. In the story, the user wrote, ”Knicks fumbled @obitoppin1 go crazy”.

Thus, the Forward echoed that the Knicks didn’t handle him well. That they made a mistake by trading him. Within a few hours of sharing his thoughts, he deleted the story.

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At any rate, this will be a critical season for him to prove his mettle. After all, he is now playing for a rebuilding team.

Will Obi Toppin have a breakout season?

Toppin has tremendous athletic chops but he hasn’t been able to showcase widespread improvement in his game with the Knicks. With the Pacers, he showed pretty moves in the preseason and tabbed 17 points and eight rebounds against the Cavs.

However, he will still need to earn that starting spot for the rebuilding team. Playing alongside Tyrese Haliburton may increase his averages this season. But he’d want much more than a slim improvement. Haliburton is the cornerstone player for the team and signed a massive five-year $260 million contract this offseason.

First, will he be able to bag at least 25 minutes per game? Secondly, if he does, will he be one of the foundational stones for the budding Pacers team?

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