NCAA Basketball: UCLA’s rise, overrated Texas Tech, and more takeaways
By Brian Rauf
7) Are we underselling Obi Toppin’s NBA potential?
The NBA Draft class is projected to be one of the weakest in recent memory, both in terms of potential stars and depth in the class. James Wiseman, Anthony Edwards, and LaMelo Ball are thought to be the players with the highest upside, yet each of them has their flaws as prospects.
Despite the general negativity surrounding this group, there’s a real chance we’re overlooking the potential of Dayton’s Obi Toppin.
While he’s currently projected to be a lottery pick (8th overall in our latest mock NBA Draft), there is virtually no talk about him being a top-five pick or a potential star. I think there should be.
Before we get into this, let me be clear – I don’t think Toppin is going to be a franchise player, but I do think he has shown the ability to be a true core player on a successful team at the next level, especially in the right system.
Any conversation about Toppin starts with his elite athleticism. He has turned several games into de facto dunk contests with his ability to attack the rim, and we’ve seen similar forwards like Amare Stoudemire and Blake Griffin have success with their high-flying acrobatics.
That helps Toppin be an extremely dangerous threat in the pick-and-roll, and his ability to handle the ball only enhances that. Throw in his three-point shooting and you have a well-rounded frontcourt player.
Toppin doesn’t have the guard-like skills we’ve seen from some other athletic forwards who go onto become stars, but that’s not his game. If he can land on a team with a legitimate guard or two, don’t be surprised if Toppin wins Rookie of the Year next year.