Can Obi Toppin play center?

bearadonisdna · Post #1 » by **bearadonisdna** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 5:07 am

To me he seems like he can and is built more like a center than Randle.
Does anybody think this is on the Knicks radar?
It seemed like playing him and Randle together was a obvious move.
Obi is 6'9 with a 7'2 wingspan and more of penchant to block shots than julius.

A completely different question is can he start at center?
Both can be discussed

Chanel Bomber · Post #2 » by **Chanel Bomber** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 10:16 am

bearadonisdna wrote:To me he seems like he can and is built more like a center than Randle.
Does anybody think this is on the Knicks radar?
It seemed like playing him and Randle together was a obvious move.
Obi is 6'9 with a 7'2 wingspan and more of penchant to block shots than julius.

A completely different question is can he start at center?
Both can be discussed

The Knicks should at the very least experiment with Obi at the 5 to assess how he performs and project his potential as a small-ball 5. Unfortunately, it won't happen so long as Thibs is the head coach - which to me is the #1 reason why you would consider replacing Thibs.

I'm not worried about Obi's size as much as his lack of defensive awareness and discipline.

He plays defense like his eyes are a telezoom lens, instead of a wide angle (like a Draymond or a Horford for instance, who seemingly see everything that is happening on the court).

thebuzzardman · Post #3 » by **thebuzzardman** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 10:54 am

The answer is no.

However, Randle has played some 5 against backups and it went ok.

Knicks should experiment (more than Thibs was forced to by injuries) playing Randle and Obi together 12-15 mpg. It would be a way to get Obi 24 mpg.

Of course, instead the Knicks will let Mitch walk and then draft Duren or that Duke center to ensure Thibs can have his security blanket of 4 or 5 centers on the roster.

Kampuchea · Post #4 » by **Kampuchea** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 11:47 am

Obi no, Randle yes. Neither is good defensively at center but at least Randle is stronger to handle the matchup and will rebound better than Obi.

Both of them are best suited at the 4, but I would like to see them play at the same time and see our offense.

Jalen Bluntson · Post #5 » by **Jalen Bluntson** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 1:29 pm

Ray Williams · Post #6 » by **Ray Williams** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 1:35 pm

Kampuchea wrote:Obi no, Randle yes. Neither is good defensively at center but at least Randle is stronger to handle the matchup and will rebound better than Obi.

Both of them are best suited at the 4, but I would like to see them play at the same time and see our offense.

If Randle stays on the team his position should be backup center.

evevale · Post #7 » by **evevale** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 1:41 pm

if you're ok w/ your center cherry picking at the elbows and rushing out in transition to do a trademark 2k dunkpackage instead of defending, boxing out and rebounding then yes he will be the top center

obi is a 4 - not a 3, not a 5, not a 1, not a starting qb. until he adds or shows more to his game he will be limited to that position especially w/ bald orc behind the wheel

nedleeds · Post #8 » by **nedleeds** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 2:54 pm

These threads.

Sure, I mean JJ Barea can play center. Obi Toppin isn't close to an NBA center on defense or as a rebounder. I'm absolutely in favor of going 0-82 so please let him start at center.

NoDopeOnSundays · Post #9 » by **NoDopeOnSundays** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 3:21 pm

Pascal Siakam is the same height/weight and has gotten away with it, but Obi has a real lack of muscle and strength, he's got a weird frame.

FlashFlood · Post #10 » by **FlashFlood** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 4:12 pm

It's a bad fit for Obi at center. Lets talk about the good. He's fast and he will smoke opposing centers with his sheer speed on the break. He's under-rated as a passer so he could run plays on the perimeter. He can get hot from 3 and pull centers out of the post.

But the positives pretty much stop there... Unless he's in the game to run the opposing center off the floor, he'll get exposed in too many other areas. He's a below average rebounder for his size, he's athletic but merely average protecting the rim, and he's still kind of a turnstile on the perimeter. In other words, traditional centers would dominate him in the paint. Not just the Andre Drummonds and Embiids, but even smaller centers like Bam, Capela, Myles Turner, Vucevic... and those are just guys in the East.

So yes, he could play center, but there's alot of bad with the good. You can say OK we concede that the center is going to have a great night, but on offense Obi will offset that on the other side, but he's not at that level (yet). A big night for the opposing team's center means much more high % baskets at the rim, and you'd need a much better perimeter oriented team to beat that.

It's a systemic proposition, if Obi's at C then you need alot of rebounding and shooting elsewhere on the roster, because defensively it will be a problem. That's on Thibs and the management.

Can you imagine how mad Thibs is going to get on the first possession that Obi leaks out and his man gets an offensive rebound? You'll need to fire Thibs first for Obi at C.

moocow007 · Post #11 » by **moocow007** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 4:31 pm

Obi couldn't really plat C in college at Dayton (and college is where undersized guys that can't play C in the NBA play C). So I doubt it.

Meat · Post #12 » by **Meat** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 4:56 pm

absolutely, can you surround him with 3 starters shooting over 38% from 3?

R-DAWG · Post #13 » by **R-DAWG** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 5:36 pm

It can work in short spurts with Randle/Toppin on the floor - as long as you have wings who can rebound.

Your essentially sacrificing rim protection for offense, and against most teams that isn't a real issue since there are few most up bigs.

Obi should be getting 25-30MPG. Randle should get 30-35MPG. This should result in Obi getting 15-18 MPG at PF and 10-12MPG with Obi/Randle on the floor together. Still leaves 30-32 MPG for Mitch at C.

The Vo Show · Post #14 » by **The Vo Show** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 5:36 pm

Why can't we play Randle at the 3? He doesn't want to play defense so it doesn't matter who he's guarding. Spacing would be the biggest issue but Obi is constantly working on being a stretch 4 so it might work this year. We can run it out there for like 5 mins a game and see how it works.

Ewing246 · Post #15 » by **Ewing246** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:23 pm

Sure. I wouldn't do it full time but guys like Marcus Morris and John Collins log mins at center. Toppin is definitely slight for the position and doesn't take up space in the middle like you would like. He is not the rim protector Noel or Mitch is but is a better rim protector than many players that play limited mins at centers. He also creates a total mismatch for opposing centers. People worry about rebounding and I'm sure we would give up some offensive rebounds but Obi boxes out well and changes end so fast that opposing 5 will not be able to go to the offensive glass if they want to match up with Obi. he creates similar issues in screen-roll. We had a lot of trouble with Drummond this year b/c trying to out-muscle him is a fool's errand. Teams figured out years ago that you could get Drummond and our old buddy Ernest Kanter off the floor or by putting them in PnR against a quicker player. I'd worry about guys that are mobile AND stronger than Ob (Capplea for example seems like a nightmare match-up for Obi) more than the lumbering goons,

nedleeds · Post #16 » by **nedleeds** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:46 pm

The Vo Show wrote:Why can't we play Randle at the 3? He doesn't want to play defense so it doesn't matter who he's guarding. Spacing would be the biggest issue but Obi is constantly working on being a stretch 4 so it might work this year. We can run it out there for like 5 mins a game and see how it works.

Because our shooting guard prodigy can't shoot and needs to be surrounded by shooters. :clown:

Snacks · Post #17 » by **Snacks** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:54 pm

Of course he can. It would be unconventional. It would be position less basketball. Obi would be a Center on offense and he would further be unlocked (this is what he did in college). It would be devastating. He would be like Amare on offense. On Defense, he'll switch back to a PF depending on the matchup. But he can't play this role with Randle. The true "Center" on the court has to be a weird egg (like Obi) and be able to play power forward on Offense (very much like a Siakam) and also be an elite rim protector and decent rebounder. Maybe Somebody like Eason in the draft. the player I want the most is Jalen Smith.
You run Mitch/Obi as standard fare, then you bring in a guy like Smith(not alot of players like him) and you switch it up. Smith can also play backup 4. I'm not sure if he's a starter, but it doesn't matter. I would give anything to see that play out on the court.

And believe it or not, as much as I hate Thibs, he would be a good fitting coach for this type of philososhy. Remember the bulls, with that bum Noah at the top of the key or foul line extended either taking the shot or - if closed out- making a crisp pass to Boozer or Deng deep in the paint? yeah... remember the times.

Edit: Hell, Myles Turner might even work

bearadonisdna · Post #18 » by **bearadonisdna** » Wed Jun 22, 2022 11:41 pm

Snacks wrote:Of course he can. It would be unconventional. It would be position less basketball. Obi would be a Center on offense and he would further be unlocked (this is what he did in college). It would be devastating. He would be like Amare on offense. On Defense, he'll switch back to a PF depending on the matchup. But he can't play this role with Randle. The true "Center" on the court has to be a weird egg (like Obi) and be able to play power forward on Offense (very much like a Siakam) and also be an elite rim protector and decent rebounder. Maybe Somebody like Eason in the draft. the player I want the most is Jalen Smith.
You run Mitch/Obi as standard fare, then you bring in a guy like Smith(not alot of players like him) and you switch it up. Smith can also play backup 4. I'm not sure if he's a starter, but it doesn't matter. I would give anything to see that play out on the court.

And believe it or not, as much as I hate Thibs, he would be a good fitting coach for this type of philososhy. Remember the bulls, with that bum Noah at the top of the key or foul line extended either taking the shot or - if closed out- making a crisp pass to Boozer or Deng deep in the paint? yeah... remember the times.

Edit: Hell, Myles Turner might even work

Obi came out of college with a centers stat line .
30 + PER
7/12 fgs insane efficiency

Pfs that play like that are like Zion tier . He had center written all over imo which that type of efficient game you usually see from centers.

RW3 is listed as 6’8 , obi is taller with good wing span and hops.
Plus if Mitch is his backup it mitigates a lot of risk .

nykballa2k4 · Post #19 » by **nykballa2k4** » Thu Jun 23, 2022 2:15 pm

Obi can play center if he manages his frame. Think of Looney for GSW. Depends on the team around him tho.

KNICKS007 · Post #20 » by **KNICKS007** » Thu Jun 23, 2022 2:22 pm

Ray Williams wrote:
Kampuchea wrote:Obi no, Randle yes. Neither is good defensively at center but at least Randle is stronger to handle the matchup and will rebound better than Obi.

Both of them are best suited at the 4, but I would like to see them play at the same time and see our offense.

If Randle stays on the team his position should be backup center.

Did you just suggest that your best player be move to a back up center..HaHaHa

So who the starting Center, because I don't see Embiid, Jokic or Kat on the knicks Roster..

Obi can't play any other position other than PF, which is why he's regulated to 15 min per night

Can Obi play center?