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Topic: Can Jacob Toppin follow the same path as his brother, Obi Toppin?
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catmandoo
Player
Member # 1284
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posted 04-18-2020 01:01 PM
Name recognition can get you far in the game of politics. It can curry both animosity and favor for a particular individual based off nothing more than a name. This week the concept proved its worth in the sports world as Kentucky fans almost universally nodded in approval as John Calipari accepted a transfer, Jacob Toppin, the younger brother of college basketball’s player of the year, Obi Toppin.
The first non-grad transfer Calipari has brought to UK since Ryan Harrow’s ill-fated 2013 basketball season, fans would probably be initially hesitant to welcome a small forward who averaged just 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in the Atlantic 10. What sets this small forward apart is his last name.
Few had heard of Obi Toppin before his breakout season at Dayton in 2020. A late bloomer, he was only 6-foot-2 as a high school junior. After redshirting in his first season as a college athlete, he stepped on the court as a 6-foot-9 forward. It took time for Obi Toppin to grow into his body and his game. The same could be said about his little brother, Jacob.
“I think I can be like Obi and my brother thinks that too,” Jacob told The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker. “We’ve had the same development process. We have the same body. His redshirt year really helped him a lot, helped him grow his body and become who he is today. I didn’t get that time to develop my body this year, so if I was to sit out, it would definitely help me a lot, let me focus on getting stronger and gaining weight and developing my skills. And eventually become what Obi is, or even better.”
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Posts: 186363 | From: st. augustine florida 32092 | Registered: Mar 2001
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Bama Cat
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Member # 153
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posted 04-18-2020 08:32 PM
There was a little more in this article than I was aware of. I thought there was just 1 year difference in their ages but now it seems there are 2 years difference. I didn't know Obi had took a redshirt year before he started college ball. He just finished his soph year so they are 2 years apart. I've also seen where they are saying Jacob is 6-8 which would make him just an inch shorter than Obi. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do once he gets on the floor.
Posts: 14368 | From: berea, ky, usa | Registered: Sep 1999
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catmandoo
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Member # 1284
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posted 04-19-2020 03:48 PM
Update on 2020 NBA draft and where Obi Toppin stands.
4. OBI TOPPIN, Dayton
Details: 22 years old, 6-foot-9, 220 lbs
Key Stats: 20.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 bpg, 1.0 bpg, 63% FG, 39% 3PT
Toppin is one of three guys in this draft that, if I were an NBA GM, I would want to definitively be higher than the field on, and the reason for that is two-fold: On the one hand, Toppin is one of just a handful of players in this 2020 NBA Mock Draft that I believe can make a significant impact in the NBA as a rookie, and given that the top of this draft class is made up of players that are going to be drafted on their potential without having the upside of being a franchise-changing talent, I think there is value in drafting a guy with a rock-solid floor.
The reason that Toppin’s floor is so high is because of how well he fits as a role player at the next level. Anthony Grant’s offense at Dayton was as close to a modern NBA scheme as you are going to find in the college game, and the reason he is able to play that way has everything to do with Toppin’s skill set. At 6-foot-9, he’s an explosive leaper that is versatile offensively — he can hit a three, he can score off the bounce, he has a pretty good feel for the game, he’s a capable and willing passer. He also has the size and physical tools where it is conceivable that he can play the four or the five in small-ball lineups, although he’ll need some development here; he has high hips and a slender waist which casts some doubt on how well he’ll be able to put on weight and how well he can sit in a stance and guard on the perimeter. And while there is some value in being capable of guarding fours or fives, there are some valid questions about whether or not he’ll be above average guarding either.
I do think that will come with time spent in the right NBA strength and conditioning program, and the fact that he’s a late-bloomer that was just 6-foot-2 as a high school junior is relevant here as well.
I broke down why Toppin is such a good fit for Dayton’s offense last month, and all of that applies to why he’ll be such a good fit at the next level as well:
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http://www.ukfightsong.com/
Posts: 186363 | From: st. augustine florida 32092 | Registered: Mar 2001
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