Obi Toppin Falls Out of Top-Five, New York Knicks Grab Him at No. 8

Obi Toppin and the Dayton Flyers were one of the best storylines of the 2019-20 college basketball season and before the eventual cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, Toppin had led the Flyers to one of the favorites to make the Final Four. The 22-year old forward had a breakout sophomore season and had a flurry of national awards come his way as a result. Toppin was named the 2019-20 AP Player of the Year, was the Naismith Award winner, was named a consensus All-American and was named the 2019-20 John R. Wooden Award recipient. 

The Knicks drafting Obi Toppin not only brings a lot of excitement to this fanbase, but provides the Knicks with a player they can use to build for the future. Toppin is a player that you know what you are getting as he will not develop much more compared to other players in this draft. The high-flying forward will enter the league as a must-stop player in transition and if he gets to the paint, he is going to put someone on a poster. 

The main focus for the Knicks will be to continue improving Obi’s outside shooting and not force him to play in the post. His game is so versatile that he can play one-on-one on the wing or back down smaller opponents in the paint and then kick out to open shooters. The only thing for the Knicks is that they will need to get him guys who are able to knock down shots from the perimeter. 

R.J. Barrett and Obi Toppin are the future of the Knick organization and are the core they will continue to build around. It is not out of the question that the Knicks will  try to bring in an All-Star caliber player to pair with their young tandem, but with the weak free agent class this year compared to past years, the Knicks would likely have to acquire a star player via trade. Knicks fans must be happy their team finally made a good move in the draft and optimistic about the direction President Leon Rose and GM Scott Perry are taking this franchise. The only way for the Knicks is up!