Tag: Obi Toppin

2021 NBA All-Star: Full participants for Skills, 3-Point, Dunk Contest

The NBA on Tuesday announced the full list of players set to participate in the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest.

With players and teams navigating through a unique set of circumstances this season due to the coronavirus pandemic, NBA All-Star 2021 will look a bit different.

The NBA previously announced the events surrounding All-Star weekend will all take place on March 7 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will kick off the action at 6:30 p.m. EST, with the Slam Dunk Contest set to happen at halftime of the All-Star Game.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced the full list of players set to participate in the various events with a couple of rookies sprinkled in throughout the festivities.

Report: Knicks’ Obi Toppin to participate in Slam Dunk Contest

The Knicks rookie will be looking to become the first rookie to win the Slam Dunk Contest since Hamidou Diallo in 2019.

New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin will reportedly participate in the Slam Dunk Contest set to take place in Atlanta, Georgia, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the NBA opted to hold all of the All-Star festivities on Sunday, March 7. The Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will kick off the action, while the Slam Dunk Contest will take place at halftime of the All-Star Game.

Toppin is the first known player set to take part in the Slam Dunk Contest and was among the fan favorites to participate given his athleticism and high-flying ability.

The eighth overall pick missed 10 games this season with a calf injury, but is fully healthy now and has played in each game since returning on Jan. 13. In 23 games this season, Toppin is averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12.1 minutes.

Derrick Jones Jr. won the Slam Dunk Contest last year in Chicago.

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

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4 Rookies we want to see in the 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

These NBA rookies could steal the show in the NBA Dunk Contest.

With the recent announcement of the captains and starters for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game on Thursday, that only means one thing: the announcement for the 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest participants are looming.

The typical All-Star Saturday Night festivities will take place on Sunday, March 7th along with the All-Star Game. The Skills Competition and Three Point Competition will happen prior to the game and the Slam Dunk Contest will be at halftime, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Derrick Jones Jr., who represented the Heat in 2020 and is now with the Blazers, is the reigning Dunk Contest champion, after beating Aaron Gordon in the finals last year. It remains to be seen if either player returns to the Dunk Contest – but a few members of the 2020 rookie class have shown plenty of bounce and intrigue to put on a show come halftime on March 7th.

Derrick Rose taking Knicks rookies under his wing in New York return

The former MVP mentored rookies like Killian Hayes this season in Detroit and is looking to continue that role in New York.

Derrick Rose just joined the New York Knicks on Monday, but the former Most Valuable Player already made a strong effort to connect with two of his new rookie teammates.

Rose, who played in New York during the 2016-17 season, was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Knicks in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and a future second-round pick. The trade was officially completed on Monday morning with Rose joining the Knicks in Miami by nightfall.

On Tuesday, Knicks rookie Immanuel Quickley revealed that Rose reached out to him and fellow first-round pick, Obi Toppin. Rose sat down and had dinner with the two rookies and offered his assistance in anything that is needed from them.

“He just stressed to me — first of all, he gave me his number — and said anything I need just hit him,” Quickley said, via the New York Post. “But he sat down with me a little bit, me and Obi actually, just told us he’s here to help us, he’s here to help us grow and things like that. It’s good to get a chance to talk to him a little bit last night.”

The 32-year-old version of Rose is much different than the one that played under head coach Tom Thibodeau with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in his career. Rose still has much to offer the Knicks on the court, but the 13-year veteran has also taken on additional leadership qualities and played an integral role in mentoring some of the rookies in Detroit, such as Killian Hayes.

Rose will be looking to continue that role in New York and Quickley will be all ears throughout the rest of the season.

“Anytime you can get a chance to pick someone’s brain who’s been through pretty much everything – playoffs, everything, as far as MVP,” Quickley said. “It’s always a good chance to learn from somebody who has the experience. That’s the best teacher as far as picking his brain through everything he’s known about the game. It’s something I’m looking forward to.”

With Rose now in the picture, it is unclear how his arrival will impact Quickley on the court.

Quickley has emerged as a key contributor off the bench and has been among the best rookies to this point of the season. He believes he can fit well next to Rose and is willing to play whatever role is asked of him moving forward in the rotation.

The acquisition of Rose appears to be a good move for the Knicks.

He can certainly provide additional guidance and advice for the younger players on the team, like Quickley and Toppin. Only time will tell, though, if he can help them pick up some additional wins…

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

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Stephen A. Smith wanted Knicks to take Tyrese Haliburton over Obi Toppin

The ESPN personality thought the Knicks should have taken a guard in the NBA draft, and not another big man in Obi Toppin.

Under new head coach Tom Thibodeau, the New York Knicks have had a decent start to the 2020-21 season with an 8-11 record. The team has shown some flashes of being a playoff contender at times, while boasting a top-five defense in the process.

Overall, the team appears to be heading in the right direction. Then, when considered that 25th overall pick Immanuel Quickley has looked to be an absolute steal of the draft, the Knicks look to have a player that can contribute on a nightly basis.

It has been the other first-round pick that some have taken issue with.

Of course, the Knicks selected Obi Toppin from Dayton with the eighth overall pick. Toppin was named the 2020 AP Player of the Year after a remarkable sophomore year with the Flyers but has experienced a slow start to his rookie campaign after missing time with an injury.

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, who is a noted Knicks fan, was not thrilled with the selection of Toppin.

Smith, speaking with rapper Torae on SiriusXM’s Hip Hop Nation, wanted the Knicks to take Tyrese Haliburton, who went 12th to the Sacramento Kings. Given the early success of Haliburton, Knicks fans likely agree with Smith’s stance, too.

[Knicks president] Leon Rose knows basketball, was a really big-time agent. He has got some connections. Unfortunately, my only problem is I think that made him draft Obi Toppin, instead of my selection, which I thought should have been Tyrese Haliburton out of Iowa State who is at Sacramento right now doing his thing. I’m not knocking Obi Toppin, I just think playing the position that he plays, you’ve got enough forwards with the New York Knicks, you really didn’t need him. You needed a guard.

While Haliburton has certainly been off to a great start this season, comparing him to Toppin at this point seems a bit unfair. Toppin dealt with an injury that forced him to miss 10 games and is still working to pick things up in the Knicks’ system.

Haliburton likely would have made for a great pick with the Knicks, but the team went in a different direction. Toppin has done some nice things on the court to this point and likely only needs some additional time to get things rolling.

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

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Knicks: Obi Toppin to miss at least one week due to injury

Toppin will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days and will likely miss at least the next four games as a result.

New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin will miss at least one week due to a strained right calf suffered in the season opener on Wednesday, the team announced on Saturday night.

Toppin did not practice following the season opener and did not play on Saturday versus the Philadelphia 76ers. He will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days and will likely miss at least the next four games while he recovers from the injury.

The eighth overall pick recorded nine points, three rebounds and two blocks in 24 minutes of work in the season-opening loss to the Indiana Pacers. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said that Toppin was moving better on Saturday so the injury doesn’t appear to be too serious.

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Sixers vs. Knicks: Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley to sit with injuries

Knicks rookies Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley will both miss Saturday’s game versus the 76ers with injuries.

New York Knicks rookies Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley will each sit on Saturday night at home versus the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Ian Begley of SNY.

Toppin suffered a calf injury during the season opener on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. He produced nine points, three rebounds and two blocks in 24 minutes of work during the 121-107 loss. The injury doesn’t appear to be too serious as he was moving around better on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Quickley was diagnosed with a hip pointer during that game after leaving in the first half. The injury appeared to be non-contact as he came up slow after attempting to go after a rebound. He logged 12 minutes prior to suffering the injury, recording five points.

The status of the two for Sunday versus the Milwaukee Bucks is not known.

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10 bold NBA rookie class predictions for the 2020-21 season

Rookie Wire decided to put on our thinking caps and predict the future so we made 10 bold predictions for the 2020-21 rookie class.

The 2020-21 NBA season officially tipped off this week with each team hitting the court to much fanfare following a historic, shortened training camp period.

With a new season upon us, there is a new opportunity for teams and players to leave their mark in the league. Organizations made plenty of changes during the offseason in preparation for what projects to be a challenging season ahead.

The incoming class of rookies look to make the most of a difficult transition to the NBA given the circumstances. The players have put forth some strong performances thus far during the preseason and look to continue that momentum into the regular season.

Rookie Wire decided to put on our thinking caps and predict the future. We made 10 bold predictions for the upcoming season for the rookie class and offer up an opinion on what we might see. To make this exercise fun, we will come back at the end of the season and see how we did.

Here is how we fared last season, in which, we didn’t do particularly well.

Knicks’ Obi Toppin ‘excited’ to play in real games that count

Toppin enjoyed playing in the preseason but the Knicks rookie is excited to move onto the regular season.

New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin enjoyed his time on the court during the preseason but the eighth overall pick is ready to move on and play in games that count.

The 22-year-old said this week that all he has done in advance of the season opener on Wednesday versus the Indiana Pacers is practice, hit the weight room and rest at home. He isn’t taking any chances of being anywhere he isn’t supposed to be in order to follow proper health protocols.

Toppin averaged 7.3 points and six rebounds in four preseason games while he shot 37.9% from the field. He has watched plenty of film with the coaching staff on the areas in which can be improved and is prepared for the increased level of intensity in the regular season.

“Everybody has been talking about the difference just because it is real,” Toppin said on Tuesday. “My Coach at Dayton used to put it into terms like the preseason games are rubber bullets and when you get into the real games that count, those are real bullets. We’re jumping into the fire and it’s a quick turnaround, it’s not what everybody is used to. This opportunity for me to be in this position is a blessing so I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’m super excited.”

Toppin projects to play a large role with the Knicks this season and could be among the players to watch in the Rookie of the Year race. He figures to see plenty of playing time, and if he can be productive, that will go a long way in helping the Knicks on the court.

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NBA predictions: Our picks for All-League teams

HoopsHype predicts all of the All-NBA squads for the 2020-21 season, including the All-Defense and All-Rookie honorees as well.

As we get closer and closer to the upcoming 2020-21 season, HoopsHype decided to make predictions for the All-NBA squads – including rookies and defensive players.

As the league does it, for each group, HoopsHype writers were allowed to pick one big man, two forwards and two guards. These were the results: