Obi Toppin began this season as the Indiana Pacers starting power forward. He was moved to the bench after only two months and a few weeks after that the Pacers upgraded at his position in a blockbuster trade.
Based solely on that information, you probably wouldn’t think the year has gone particularly well for Toppin, who is in the final year of his rookie contract after being traded to the Pacers by the New York Knicks for a pair of future late second-round picks. However, Toppin has had his best season in the NBA with the Pacers, fitting perfectly into their fast-paced, up-tempo style all while improving in key areas of his game.
“Obi’s grown in all areas,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said when asked how Toppin has improved this season. “When he came here, we talked about defense and rebounding being two things that we felt were areas he had a much higher ceiling. He’s done significantly better in both of those areas. He’s a special player: a guy 6’10,” who can dribble, make plays, pass it, has feel … he’s a guy that I really love as a player.”
While averaging career highs nearly across the board, Toppin’s efficiency this season is truly off the charts. His 70.8% on 2-point attempts and 68% true-shooting percentage rank second in the NBA. The only player that matches his 57.6% FG% while taking at least three 3-pointers per game is Nikola Jokic. His lean shot diet of dunks and 3-pointers is unlike anything the Pacers organization has ever had.
He was a major contributor in the Pacers second-half comeback attempt against the Cavaliers as Toppin was huge to end the third quarter with two big dunks and a block on Donovan Mitchell. He added 10 points and 6 assists before exiting with an ankle sprain. Toppin has yet to miss a game all season and his status for Sunday afternoon against the Hawks is unclear with a playoff spot on the line.
Against the Raptors, Toppin went off for 23 points which came from six dunks, three 3-pointers, and one alley oops when Tyrese Haliburton didn’t see Toppin until it was too late and Toppin could only finish it with a layup instead of yet another dunk.
Other than TJ McConnell, who has simply been a dominant force since the All-Star break, Toppin is the most impactful player coming off the bench for the Pacers, whose second unit has consistently been one of the best in the NBA all season and his net rating of 12.9 since the All-Star break is the best on the team. Toppin’s ability to get out and run with the always pace-pushing pest of a backup point guard has made the duo a seamless fit together with their chemistry blossoming of late.
“I’m a big Obi Toppin fan,” McConnell said after the win over the Heat. “… His ability to get out and run the floor and cause mismatches in transition and we’re able to throw it over the top to him. Then when teams leave him open, he knocks it down at a high clip. To put it simply, he’s just a really good player and makes our life easier as point guards, definitely glad he’s here.”
While Pascal Siakam’s entrance into the team seemed to threaten to greatly reduce Toppin’s playing time and role, Toppin’s continued to shine off the bench and he’s been able to play alongside Siakam at times including in lineups where the Pacers go without a center. In a small sample of 97 minutes with the Pacers going small with Siakam and Toppin as the bigs, the team has a net rating of 9.1.
“I like it as an option when the other team goes small,” Carlisle said after the win over the Thunder when Siakam and Toppin closed the fourth quarter together. “… to have big, mobile wings like Pascal and Obi really is a great option to have if needed. I like playing big as often as we can, but when they throw five guards out there, that’s a different story. That’s a lineup that helped us.”
Toppin’s a smart cutter and his off-ball movement has been activated in the half-court with the wide open Pacers offense much more than it was in New York where he never played with the same kind of spacing. While it’s a small part of his usage (12%), he’s in the 98th percentile in points per possession (1.69) on cuts per Synergy thanks to his effortless leaping ability to finish in the paint.
His 3-point shot has also vastly improved and been much more consistent with the Pacers than when he entered the league. His first two NBA seasons, he made just 30.7% of his 3-pointers. He upped that to 34.4% in his final year with the Knicks but has become a legitimate spacing power forward with the Pacers at 40.9% on 3.1 attempts per game.
“He’s been as consistent as anybody in the league I think,” Myles Turner said after practice Wednesday. “He’s shot the ball so much better this year than I expected. Playing against him in New York, I didn’t realize he could shoot the ball as well as he does. He brings that level of energy and consistency and defensive versatility as well. He’s really stepped up to the call this year.”
In many games, Toppin’s 3-pointers have been crucial to flipping the game’s momentun. Most recently, Toppin was instrumental in keeping the Miami Heat from completing their comeback attempt as he hit consecutive 3-pointers to push the Pacers dwindling lead back to 14 late in the third quarter. While he’s not without his flaws defensively, it’s been hard to ask for anything more than what he’s given the Pacers on the floor.
Toppin is a great locker room guy who consistently likes to ask his teammates questions during their media interviews including a moment where he was nearly interrupted by a beat reporter and inspired this meme template that has unfortunately been used far too often of late.
Before every home game, Toppin ends his pregame warm-up routine by picking out a young fan in Pacers gear with assistant coach Mike Weinar. Weinar goes and asks the kid and his parent if they’d like to come onto to floor to throw the power forward an alley oop. After a quick coaching session from Weinar, the kids toss up a pass high in the air or off the backboard and Toppin puts on a show to finish it with flair. Then Toppin offers to take a picture with the kid afterward. Pure wholesome moments.
With his restricted free agency pending, it’s unclear what kind of market there will be for Toppin or if the Pacers will be able to re-sign him with Siakam’s likely massive deal coming as well. The Pacers do have Toppin’s Bird Rights—which allows teams to re-sign their own free agents while over the cap—and his RFA status gives the team the chance to match any offer he receives. So if the front office wants to keep the high-flying power forward around, they’ll have the ability to do so.
Whatever the case ends up being this summer, one thing is certain: ain’t no stoppin’, Obi Toppin.
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