Obi Toppin may not be the only bright spot for the New York Knicks’ future, but he’s certainly been exciting to watch so far.
Over the years, Knicks fans have managed to keep hope for their team without a great return on investment. They don’t win much, and when they do, they generally don’t do it for very long. New York hasn’t won a championship in nearly 50 years, hasn’t made it to the final since 1999 and, what’s more, they haven’t even smelled the playoffs in almost 10 years.
Now the situation begins to change. With a new regime leading the charge, a new front office making wise decisions to benefit the organization’s short- and long-term prospects, and a foundation of actors like RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin to build on, the future is bright.
The last time the Knicks won a Rookie of the Year was in 1988 when Mark Jackson executed the offense. Frankly, that may be the last time we’ve had a well above average player running the point for the Knickerbockers.
As it stands, the oddsmakers have LaMelo Ball as the favorite to win ROY, with Obi as the second-place contender. Even with minutes off the bench, Obi has proven he can produce and shine while doing so. In 4 preseason games, he demonstrated the extraordinary ability to score the ball, but that’s where his bread has always been buttered. To increase his chances of winning NBA accolades on LaMelo, he’ll need to fill his stats sheet into more than just the points per game column.