Tag: Obi Toppin

WATCH: Miles Bridges matches Obi Toppin windmill with a windmill dunk of his own

WATCH: Miles Bridges matches Obi Toppin windmill with a windmill dunk of his own

Man. Miles Bridges is going to get paid next summer. The former Spartan has been balling out all year in his contract season, and Friday night was no different as he dropped 24 points and led the Hornets over the New York Knicks.

During the game, Obi Toppin hit an awesome windmill dunk. Not to be outdone, Bridges responded with his own moments later.

Watch the exchange below:

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NBA free agency: Projected lineup for Knicks with Kemba Walker

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

During his first year as head coach of the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau got the most out of his players. Julius Randle took a huge step forward, winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Meanwhile, Immanuel Quickley outperformed expectations and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second-Team.

The organization built on that success by re-signing Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel. They have also managed to sign big names such as Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, who were actually teammates on the Boston Celtics in 2020-21.

Statistically speaking, Walker’s play was elevated quite a bit once Fournier joined the Celtics. Boston outscored opponents by an excellent 14.8 points per 100 possessions when Walker and Fournier were on the floor at the same time during regular-season action, per PBP Stats. Boston’s net rating (1.1) was much worse when Walker appeared without Fournier.

Meanwhile, Walker averaged 27.0 points per 36 minutes when he shared the court with Fournier. Compare that figure to the 22.5 points per 36 minutes in minutes he played without Fournier this past season.

The two players can add some value to the momentum that the Knicks had en route to the 2021 NBA Playoffs. especially if players like Quickley and RJ Barrett continue their development.

NBA free agency: Projected lineup for Knicks with Kemba Walker

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

During his first year as head coach of the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau got the most out of his players. Julius Randle took a huge step forward, winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Meanwhile, Immanuel Quickley outperformed expectations and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second-Team.

The organization built on that success by re-signing Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel. They have also managed to sign big names such as Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, who were actually teammates on the Boston Celtics in 2020-21.

Statistically speaking, Walker’s play was elevated quite a bit once Fournier joined the Celtics. Boston outscored opponents by an excellent 14.8 points per 100 possessions when Walker and Fournier were on the floor at the same time during regular-season action, per PBP Stats. Boston’s net rating (1.1) was much worse when Walker appeared without Fournier.

Meanwhile, Walker averaged 27.0 points per 36 minutes when he shared the court with Fournier. Compare that figure to the 22.5 points per 36 minutes in minutes he played without Fournier this past season.

The two players can add some value to the momentum that the Knicks had en route to the 2021 NBA Playoffs. especially if players like Quickley and RJ Barrett continue their development.

Edwards, Haliburton among 17 players named to USA Basketball select team

The select team will practice and scrimmage daily with the Olympic team July 6-9 in Las Vegas.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton on Thursday were among 17 players named to the USA Basketball select team.

The select team will practice and scrimmage daily with the Olympic team July 6-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They will help prepare the national team for five exhibition games prior to the start of the Tokyo Olympics, which begin on July 25.

Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat will serve as the head coach of the select team. Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, who served as an assistant coach with the 2019 select team, and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley will serve as assistant coaches to Spoelstra.

The 2021 USA Basketball select team:

Player Team
Saddiq Bey Detroit Pistons
Miles Bridges Charlotte Hornets
Anthony Edwards Minnesota Timberwolves
Darius Garland Cleveland Cavaliers
Tyrese Haliburton Sacramento Kings
Tyler Herro Miami Heat
John Jenkins Bilbao Basket (Italy)
Keldon Johnson San Antonio Spurs
Josh Magette Darüşşafaka Tekfen (Turkey)
Dakota Mathias Philadelphia 76ers
Immanuel Quickley New York Knicks
Naz Reid Minnesota Timberwolves
Cam Reynolds Houston Rockets
Isaiah Stewart Detroit Pistons
Obi Toppin New York Knicks
P.J. Washington Charlotte Hornets
Patrick Williams Chicago Bulls

The U.S. will be among five countries that will play five exhibition games in Las Vegas prior to heading to Japan for the Olympics. They will face Nigeria beginning on July 10 with two games against Australia to follow and one apiece versus Argentina and Spain.

Preliminary play in the Olympics, which will feature 12 teams across three groups, will begin July 25 and run through Aug. 2. The quarterfinals will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase.

The semifinals will take place on Aug. 5 with the gold and bronze medal games on Aug. 7.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Rumor: Knicks’ Obi Toppin may see fewer minutes during playoffs

When the Knicks kick off the playoffs on Sunday, Toppin may be on the outside looking in when it comes to playing time versus the Hawks.

When the New York Knicks make their first postseason appearance in eight years on Sunday, rookie Obi Toppin may be on the outside looking in when it comes to playing time versus the Atlanta Hawks.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks will look to make a change at the backup power forward spot and give additional minutes to Taj Gibson. The move will give the team a veteran presence on the court as they open the first round of the playoffs.

Toppin has played sparingly with the Knicks, averaging just 11 minutes in 61 appearances this season. A calf injury suffered in the season opener forced him to miss the next 10 games, which slowed his development significantly to begin the year.

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Of course, rookies rarely play prominent roles during the playoffs as teams look to rely more on their veteran players. The news that Toppin likely won’t play much this postseason may not be all that surprising since he has been out of rotation much of the year.

The Knicks could certainly still use Toppin in spurts during the first round against the Hawks, but the eighth overall pick may not log heavy minutes to begin his first playoff run.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Rumor: Knicks will need to trade Obi Toppin because of roster fit

One anonymous assistant general manager believes the Knicks will eventually need to trade rookie Obi Toppin.

When the New York Knicks selected Obi Toppin eighth last year, the pick earned mostly positive reviews among fans and experts alike but his future in the Big Apple is uncertain.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, the Knicks were linked heavily to Toppin. He is from Brooklyn, and they were one of four teams Toppin worked out with prior to the draft. The organization was said to be impressed with him on and off of the court, so it wasn’t surprising they selected him.

Fast forward to now, and that tune may have changed because of roster circumstances.

According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who cited an anonymous assistant general manager, the Knicks may eventually need to trade Toppin. The executive pointed to the emergence of All-Star Julius Randle, and how little coach Tom Thibodeau has played Toppin this season as reasons.

“They’re gonna have to trade Obi this summer,” the assistant GM said. “You can’t really play him and Randle together. There’s no runway for him to be successful there.”

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Toppin has played sparingly with the Knicks, averaging just 11.1 minutes in 52 appearances this season. A calf injury suffered in the season opener forced him to miss the next 10 games, which slowed his development significantly to begin the year.

While Toppin isn’t a big part of the rotation, Thibodeau recently praised the 23-year-old for his work ethic after scoring nine points in a win over the Toronto Raptors, in which he hit two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

“Obi has been practicing great,” Thibodeau said on Saturday. “I thought he played great tonight. Our bench gave us a big lift, and he was at the heart of it. I thought they played very well together. He has put a lot of extra time into his shooting. He is coming back at night and is (improving) his shot, so I think he is gaining confidence.”

Of course, the recent revelation by the unnamed executive is hardly indicative of the Knicks’ feelings on Toppin, but it does present some questions about his future with the team.

In any case, seeing which direction the Knicks will go this summer should be worth monitoring.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Obi Toppin sent Knicks’ bench into a frenzy after a pair of 3-pointers

A pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter by Toppin earned quite a reaction by the Knicks’ bench.

Julius Randle scored a game-high 31 points and 10 rebounds, RJ Barrett had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Derrick Rose chipped in 19 points off the bench on Saturday to lead the New York Knicks to a win over the Toronto Raptors, their ninth straight victory.

The nine-game win streak by the Knicks is tied for their second-longest over the last 25 years as they improved to seven games above .500 for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Amid their current run, the team climbed up to fourth in the standings.

Following the contest, head coach Tom Thibodeau praised the second unit for stepping up and helping the team to victory. New York’s bench outscored Toronto’s 43-11 in the contest, with rookie Obi Toppin adding nine points, his best game since April 2.

Toppin went 3-of-4 from 3-point range in nearly nine minutes of work, with two 3-pointers coming in the fourth quarter to put the Knicks up by 16 points with 9:14 left to play.

His 3s sent the Knicks’ bench, and Madison Square Garden, into a frenzy.

Afterward, Thibodeau complimented Toppin for his recent work in practice.

“Obi has been practicing great,” Thibodeau said. “I thought he played great tonight. Our bench gave us a big lift and he was at the heart of it. I thought they played very well together. He has put a lot of extra time into his shooting. He is coming back at night and is (improving) his shot so I think he is gaining confidence.”

Toppin has had an up and down rookie campaign to this point of the season, but has shown flashes during his limited action on the court. Certainly, stepping in and hitting some key 3-pointers will go a long way in helping him earn more playing time.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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See every dunk from the 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

See what Anfernee Simons, Obi Toppin and Cassius Stanley did.

Anfernee Simons is your 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner, with the Portland Trail Blazers guard blowing a kiss to the rim on his way to the title.

In case you missed Sunday’s competition — which took place at halftime of the 2021 All-Star Game instead of the night before — we’ve put together all of the slams we got to see from Simons, New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin and fellow first-year pro Cassius Stanley.

You’ll see some other pretty awesome dunks, including one from Stanley that has everyone wondering why it only got a 44 out of a possible 50 points from the judges.

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2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Full highlights of each participant

With the Slam Dunk Contest now over, Rookie Wire took a look at each of the dunks thrown down by the players involved.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons on Sunday was crowned the NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner, narrowly beating New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin in the process.

Simons and Toppin each moved onto the final round after Indiana Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley was eliminated following his first two dunks of the contest. Stanley entered the evening as the favorite to win but recorded the lowest score of the three contestants in the first round.

With Simons and Toppin in the final round, the two players each had the opportunity to throw down one last dunk. The judges, which included Dee Brown, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith, Spud Webb and Dominique Wilkins, then voted Simons the winner over Toppin by a final count of 3-2.

The abbreviated Slam Dunk Contest took place during halftime of the All-Star Game and featured some impressive high-flying acts by the three participants. With the event now over, Rookie Wire took a look at each of the dunks thrown down by the players involved.

NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Anfernee Simons narrowly beats Obi Toppin

Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons was crowned the NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner, narrowly beating out Knicks rookie Obi Toppin.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons on Sunday was crowned the NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner, narrowly beating out New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin in the process.

Simons and Toppin each moved onto the final round after Indiana Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley was eliminated after his first two dunks. Stanley, who entered the event favored to win, recorded the lowest score through the first two rounds by the five judges onhand.

From there, Simons and Toppin dueled with one final dunk attempt.

The scoring system was altered this year with the judges each selecting a winner, rather than scoring the dunks like past seasons. After the last two slams were finished, the judges named Simons as the winner by a final vote of 3-2.

Simons would go on to record the highest score of the evening in the second round. He paid homage to Tracy McGrady and pulled out his throwback Toronto Raptors jersey and then threw down what the judges deemed the best dunk of the first two rounds.

While Simons won, it wasn’t without some controversy, however.

The prevailing thought on Twitter was Stanely was robbed on his first dunk by the judges, which included Dee Brown, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith, Spud Webb and Dominique Wilkins.

Stanley only earned a 44 from the group, while many thought he deserved a higher score.

Though Toppin ultimately lost to Simons in the final round, the Knicks rookie was the only contestant to use real-life props. In the second round, Toppin called upon his father and Knicks teammate Julius Randle, and then jumped right over them.

While the Dunk Contest this year lacked overall star power, the three participants put on an entertaining show during halftime of the All-Star Game. For an event that was put together rather last minute, the product still proved to be fun to watch.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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