Feb. 4, 2022
By Jolie Paz-Garcia
Staff Writer
Power forward Obi Toppin, who plays for the New York Knicks, is in his second National Basketball Association season. He has been playing well but is not getting the minutes he deserves because of teammate Julius Randle.
Toppin averages about 15.7 minutes per game, while Julius Randle averages 35.2 per game. Randle and Toppin both play the same position and, as a result, are not on the court at the same time.
Keeping a player like Toppin would be beneficial because he is young, cheap and is proving his talent on the court.
Randle was named leader of the team after a great season last year. However, as of late, he has not lived up to that title.
In his most recent games, Randle failed to demonstrate his ability as the leader with a plus/minus of -3.4. On top of that, Randle has been showing that he is a malcontent. He has been arguing with the referees, slapping teammate Evan Fournier’s hand and getting emotional on the court. On Jan. 6, Randle was seen giving fans a thumbs down, and when a reporter asked him about it later, he said he was telling the fans to shut up.
As long as Randle gets a lot of time on the court, Toppin is not going to get many minutes. One solution would be to trade Randle, which is possible as he is eligible to trade on Feb. 3.
Randle currently has a $19,800,000 contract, while Toppin only makes $5,105,160. Keeping a player like Toppin would be beneficial because he is young, cheap and is proving his talent on the court.
Toppin needs more playing time to further develop his skills, specifically when it comes to 3-point shooting. He is currently averaging 24.4%. This is low compared to the NBA league average of 35.3%, but with some practice, he could be great.
