Knicks’ Obi Toppin Says He Wants to ‘Mimic’ Lakers’ Anthony Davis in NBA
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Stew Milne/Associated Press
The New York Knicks selected Dayton’s Obi Toppin with the No. 8 overall pick at Wednesday’s NBA draft, and the young forward is setting expectations high for himself.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Toppin said he tries to “mimic” Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis when he was asked for a comparison to his game.
Mimicking Davis is one thing. Replicating what the seven-time All-Star and 2019-20 NBA champion has done on the court is quite another story entirely.
Toppin, 22, was fantastic for Dayton last season, however, averaging 20 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 63.3 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. He was the consensus Player of the Year in college basketball, and there’s little doubt he has impressive offensive upside.
Where he might struggle to replicate Davis is on the defensive end, where Davis is transcendent and Toppin has work to do. But it’s never bad to set your sights as high as possible.