Obi Toppin set up for rare opportunity with Julius Randle out
Obi Toppin will get his chance in a big spot.
The struggling Julius Randle, fresh off his bizarre postgame incident Sunday, will sit Tuesday’s game against the Hawks because of a sore right quad, the Knicks announced.
It will be Randle’s first missed game due to injury this season, leaving the exciting Toppin as the obvious choice to fill in as the starting power forward.
Toppin, 24, the NBA’s Slam Dunk champion, has played sparingly as Randle’s backup since getting drafted ninth overall in 2020. He is averaging 14.8 minutes this season in 61 games, demonstrating elite tendencies in transition but struggling on defense and shooting just 23.6% from beyond the arc.
With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the Knicks host the Hawks, the team they’re chasing in the play-in race.
Randle has been extremely durable with the Knicks and entered Wednesday ranked 15th in the league in total minutes played. He led the NBA last season.
Still, he’s endured a miserable season defined not only by his faltering jumper (30.7% on 3-pointers), but also by his open hostility towards the opponent, the fans and the referees. Sunday became the latest example, with Randle shoving Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert just before the final buzzer and leaving the court in a rage.
Randle, who has been ejected from two games this season and fined multiple times by the league, said he was simply mad at the officials Sunday. Coach Tom Thibodeau declined to address the incident after the game, saying his needed to watch the film.
Toppin, meanwhile, entered the Hawks matchup without logging more than 20 minutes in a game since February. He started twice earlier in the season when Randle was out with COVID-19, but the Knicks were blown out by the Thunder and Raptors.
Toppin missed four games this month with a strained hamstring.
