Photo by Kristina V on Unsplash
Obi Toppin has spent the last three years - the entirety of his professional basketball career - in a metaphorical prison. Obi’s dream of playing for his hometown New York Knicks became a nightmare as his coach limited both the amount of time he spent on the court and the role he played during his allotted minutes. That all changes next week, however, when Obi’s trade to the Indiana Pacers becomes official and he finally receives his freedom.
While Obi grew up in New York, famously tagging along with his streetball legend dad and sporting Latrell Sprewell jerseys, his homecoming wasn’t quite a fairytale from the beginning. The pandemic prevented him from hearing his name called in person and walking across the stage to shake Adam Silver’s hand and put on a Knicks hat. He joined what was thought to be a rebuilding Knicks squad, only they had just hired Tom Thibodeau - a man who doesn’t believe in such things. While the sentiment at the time was that starting power forward Julius Randle would only be around long enough to rehab his trade value, things did not play out that way.
Instead of being drafted in June, playing Summer League in July, and heading to training camp in September, Obi was drafted in November 2020 and made his regular season debut just a month later. That debut - against the Indiana Pacers, less than two hours away from his college campus in Dayton - was an unfortunate harbinger of things to come. Obi took over double the number of three pointers he averaged at UD, even beating his collegiate career high of attempts (6) by launching seven times from beyond the arc. Obi also sustained a calf injury in that game that kept him out of action the next three weeks.
During Obi’s absence, Tom Thibodeau fell in love with Julius Randle. Over the course of the next three seasons, Randle would average 37.6, 35.3, and 35.5 minutes per game. Because Thibs refused to even attempt to play them together, this left Obi to average just 11.0, 17.1, and 15.7 minutes per game over the same period. Knowing his leash was short, Obi often appeared to be pressing and Thibs would confine him back to the bench at the first missed defensive assignment - a rule that never applied to Randle. Although Randle made two All Star teams during those three seasons, his effort and attitude vacillated wildly even as his playing time remained steady. Obi for his part showed out whenever given the opportunity - averaging 20.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists over 16 games as a starter in his career.
In addition to carefully policing the amount of time Obi spent on the floor, Thibodeau also limited the role Obi played when he was out there. The National Player of the Year, who electrified college basketball with a diverse array of offensive firepower, was chained to the corners and required to become a three point specialist in Thibs’ system. This would be like if Lil Wayne were only allowed to make rock albums or Will Ferrell could only appear in dramas. Instead of being allowed to do what he does best, Obi was confined to doing what Thibs tasked him with. While Obi improved his percentage from distance every season, he was never allowed to flourish by playing from different spots on the floor - particularly around the rim where he dominated in college.
Tom Thibodeau’s reign of terror over Obi’s career has come to an end, however. We will celebrate freedom from tyranny twice this week - first for America on July 4 and then for Obi Toppin on July 6 when his trade to the Pacers becomes official. While any of the 29 other teams would have presented an improvement to Obi’s circumstances over his time in New York, the Indiana Pacers are particularly appealing.
It’s not just the full circle symbolism of returning to the place of his NBA debut or the proximity to his collegiate fanbase who reveres him, but the basketball situation could not be better for Obi. According to the NBA’s analytics, Indiana played at the fifth fastest pace last season while the Knicks played the fifth slowest. Obi will also get to play with a ballhandler who would have averaged the second most assists in the league last year had he qualified in Tyrese Haliburton. Obi, who publicly congratulated his new point guard on Instagram for securing a maximum rookie extension, already shares a lot in common with Hali including both playing for Dayton assistant coach James Kane (who coached Obi during his redshirt year at UD before joining Hali at Iowa St.), utilizing CAA for their agency representation, and even appearing in a Finish Line campaign together before their rookie season.
“Free Obi” became a popular rallying cry on Twitter - for frustrated Flyers and Knicks fans alike - over the last three years. While things in New York didn’t go the way Obi or anyone else had hoped, he has been given the ultimate opportunity to start over with a team much better suited to his talents. Now that Obi has achieved his freedom, I expect “Free Obi” to be replaced by the return of another famed Twitter rallying cry: “Ain’t no stoppin Obi Toppin.”