Julius Randle is very likely done for the rest of the regular season, and his status for the start of the postseason, assuming the Knicks can clinch without him, will also very likely be in doubt.
That means it’s potentially Obi Toppin’s time to shine, and for Boomer and Gio, it is a last stand for the former top-10 pick.
“This is an opportunity for Obi Toppin now…it’s an opportunity to show that he belongs here and that they need to keep him here,” Boomer said. “If he falls on his face and he doesn’t play defense and doesn’t rotate properly and Thibs gets really frustrated with him, then they’ll move on from him.
“He has to look at this like, ‘this is it for me. I’m gonna be able to play the rest of this season and show that I belong here.’”
Toppin hasn’t been used much this season, averaging 14.4 minutes per game, but he seems like the obvious candidate to see more playing time with Randle out. Still, Josh Hart could be moved up to the starting lineup and Toppin remains a bench contributor if Tom Thibodeau decides to go small to start. Regardless, Toppin will more than likely see his minutes increase, and Gio says what Toppin does with those minutes will likely decide the fate of his Knicks, and NBA, career.
“The way that Obi Toppin plays now, in the absence of Julius Randle in these critical games, could determine what he is the rest of his career,” Gio said. “I don’t think I’m overstating that.”
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