Obi Toppin the 8th pick. I thought Jordan Hill would forever by the worst draft selection I?ve witnessed personally... but Toppin is gaining steam.
Would you trade Obi straight up for Jaden? I would...
Jaden McDaniels kept it going on Wednesday by hitting 7-of-13 shots and tying his career high with four 3-pointers for 18 points, five rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes of a 102-101 win over the Knicks...
I remember an impartial article from last July which gave 5 reasons why Obi will be a bust and not worthy of a top 10 pick...
His age, his defense, the fact he cannot shoot off pick and rolls, and the mirage of college production... and while his agent Leon Rose got excited over his athleticism, this article suggested his athleticism is exactly why he would draft him...
He cannot operate in space!!!
?Obi Toppin has incredible athleticism in the open court. Multiple times this season Toppin grabbed the ball on a fast break and put down a dunk worthy of qualifying for SportsCenter Top10. One thing never talked about is where all of that athleticism disappears to when he is in traffic? With a player able to jump as high as Toppin, he should be a menace on the offensive glass. Especially given that he was playing against the likes of Fordham, La Salle, and St. Josephs twice every year. Toppin was not just bad on the offensive glass, he was ABYSMAL...
Considering all qualifying players, Toppin finished at 911th in the NCAA in offensive rebound % (that tracks how often a player grabs an available offensive rebound), with his final stat registering at 5.5% per CBS sports. The top offensive rebounder in the country for reference is Oscar Tshiebwe from West Virginia who finished the season at 20.5%.
Toppin ended the season worse at offensive rebounding than Devin Vassell and Isaac Okoro who are two WINGS that are projected lower in the draft than Toppin today. Not to mention every other post player projected in the first round was significantly higher than Toppin in this category. Even Toppin?s little brother Jacob was a better offensive rebounder than Obi Toppin this year.
In the last 20 years, only 6 post players have made an NBA all star game with ORB% numbers as low as what Toppin showed at Dayton this year. Porzingis, Bosh, Garnett, Marc Gasol, Rasheed Wallace, and Al Horford. Each of these guys other than Porzingis was over the age of 30 when they received a selection with offensive rebound percentage numbers below 5.5%. All of these players are either dominant rim protectors or incredible outside shooters that make up for their lack of work on the offensive glass.
So, don?t get distracted by the glitz and glamour of his high-flying dunks, because Toppin only uses that athleticism in the open court and won?t bring value to your franchise by helping to extend possessions.?
https://hollahoops.com/nba/f/5-reasons-why-obi-toppin-will-be-a-bust