In 2023, the New York Knicks traded Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers, the place he has emerged as a key depth piece.
After the Indiana Pacers surprised the New York Knicks in Recreation 1 of the Japanese Convention Finals, the trail has been laid for the Pacers to make the NBA Finals.
The Knicks, who had 4 gamers within the high 15 of minutes performed per recreation, merely don’t have the depth to maintain up with Indiana, which performs quick no matter who’s on the court docket.
The Pacers can simply run the Knicks out of the gymnasium, and New York gifted Indiana a key depth piece two summers in the past for virtually nothing.
In 2023, Obi Toppin was nearing the tip of his rookie contract with the New York Knicks and had not but lived as much as the hype. Picked eighth general in 2020 after profitable the NCAA Participant of the Yr Award with the Dayton Flyers, he averaged simply seven factors per recreation for the Knicks in three seasons, taking pictures 32.5% from 3-point vary.
In Indiana, he has upped his scoring common to 10 factors per recreation, principally off the bench, and has develop into one of many extra dependable shooters on the roster.
On high of his scoring, he has improved his rebounding, assists, and general subject objective share in Indiana and is a official NBA rotation participant on among the finest groups within the league.
The Knicks, figuring out they wouldn’t prolong him when his rookie contract was up, let him go for 2 protected second-round picks in 2028 and 2030.
Whereas Toppin is much from a star, he represents the one factor the Knicks don’t have: depth. Below Tom Thibodeau, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Jalen Brunson are all within the high 15 of minutes performed per recreation, and Hart and Anunoby led the league in complete minutes.
With Toppin behind them within the depth chart, the starters would be capable of keep recent for longer.
Toppin hasn’t been a world-beater in opposition to the Knicks for the reason that commerce, however he has been constant sufficient to assist Indiana beat New York within the second spherical final season and take a 1-0 lead within the Convention Finals this season.
| Span | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3PT% |
| Common season | 9.4 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 54.3% | 55.6% |
| 2024 playoffs | 9.9 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 57.4% | 43.8% |
| 2025 playoffs | 8.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 44.4% | 0.0% |
For simply two second-round picks, which gained’t even convey in the course of the Knicks’ or Pacers’ title window, it’s secure to say that the Pacers gained the commerce, and there’s a likelihood the Knicks would have gained simply in Recreation 1 with Toppin on their bench as a substitute of getting to face off in opposition to him.
