Jacob Toppin hopes his defense earns him a roster spot with Knicks
Knicks forward Jacob Toppin reacts after dunking against the Celtics during the second half of an NBA preseason game at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
There were the highlights, no surprise for a player whose father, Obadiah, was a street ball legend in New York City and whose brother, Obi, lit up Madison Square Garden with high-flying dunks for three seasons.
But Jacob Toppin, despite a lob dunk for his first NBA points and soaring for a blocked shot in Monday’s preseason opener for the Knicks, wants to make it clear to anyone who will listen that he is his own man, a different player than his older brother who the Knicks traded in the summer.
“We’re two different people,” Toppin said after scoring four points with two rebounds and two blocked shots in less than 10 minutes. “Obviously, we’re going to be different players. I feel like I could bring a lot defensively. I think I could guard multiple positions. I’m just very versatile on that side. Obviously, whatever the team needs me to do, I’m going do.”
“I like him a lot,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I like his energy. Every day he comes in, great concentration. He’s still a little raw, things he has to work on. But he’s a great worker. So just keep doing what you’re doing. He brings great energy. There’s a defensive component to him. Likes contact, rebounds in traffic, that sort of thing. Runs the floor. He’s got to develop a consistency with his shot and he’s really worked hard at it.
“Obi is probably a little more athletic, but he’s athletic as well. Obi is probably a little more gifted right now, further down the road offensively. But Jacob is a good defensive player right now.”
Toppin’s chances to make the Knicks' roster lie on the other end of the court from where his brother excelled. Obi led the nation in scoring while at Dayton, and the Knicks made him the eighth overall pick. The younger Toppin spent four years in college, starting at Rhode Island for his freshman year before transferring to Kentucky and playing three seasons. He went undrafted but was quickly signed to a two-way contract by the Knicks — which then was changed to an Exhibit 10 deal.
Toppin remains on the fringes through training camp. The Knicks have three players on two-way contracts — Dylan Windler, Nathan Knight and Jaylen Martin — and Toppin currently is fighting with Charlie Brown Jr., Ryan Arcidiacono and Duane Washington Jr., with the possibility of the team grabbing a player who shakes loose from another roster. The problem: The Knicks have just one open roster spot (though it could become three due to non-guaranteed contracts for DaQuan Jeffries and Isaiah Roby).
“I’m a person who lives life where I had to earn everything. Nothing was given to me," Toppin said. "So, I just take it as every day I have to come in, I have to perform in everything that I do and give 100%. So, that’s really what I've been focused on. We have a great group of guys not just on the court but off the court, as well. So, I’m getting close with a lot of guys, but at the end of the day there’s three roster spots, so I’m working for one, so I’m going to just continue to work.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
