Obi Toppin arrived in New York as one of the most athletic players in the draft class this year and the former Dayton Flyers forward hasn’t disappointed in that department so far during the Knicks training camp.
The eighth overall pick prepared amply for the start of the season during the retreat with his conditioning a priority. He worked with assistant coach Kenny Payne on several conditioning tests to get ready for training each day.
Toppin also asked for the highest score for a conditioning test and then went out and beat it. He explained what those conditioning tests entail on Sunday during a Zoom call with reporters.
“We just have to go up and down, across the board 10 times in less than a minute,” Toppin said. “I’ve done a lot with [Payne], so running up and down with the guys, my wind is perfect. I hardly ever get tired and I think I am quite ready when it comes to conditioning. “
Knicks manager Tom Thibodeau loves the roster trick this season with a lot of youngsters on their side. Thibodeau believes younger players will allow the team to play at a faster pace this season and will look to use it to their advantage.