Even though some fans are for New York Knicks lineups that include Julius Randle and Obi Toppin, the team’s head coach is dead set against any quintet that includes the offensive-minded power forwards in 2022-2023.
The Knicks have put themselves in a very difficult depth chart situation for a third straight season by having their best player and top pick from the 2020 NBA Draft play the same position. The situation got worse in 2021-2022 due to the fact that Randle took a major step back in production compared to his MVP candidate season the year before.
At the same time, Toppin took another development step forward last season, as he posted 10.0 and 27.2 points per game in the last two months of the season as he received extended playing time. Both were career highs for a month in the NBA. It has led to many fans wanting to see their homegrown talent get even more time in the new season.
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Heading into the offseason, it seemed possible the log jam could be cleared by Toppin being included in a possible trade for a young star like Donovan Mitchell, or Randle and his contract would be shipped off to another team looking to move a questionable deal. However, neither materialized and Toppin’s potential remains on a minutes block because of Randle’s existence.
New York Knicks won’t be pairing Obi Toppin with Julius Randle again as long as Tom Thibodeau is around
Over the last year, fans and media have suggested using a lineup with both men might be a best of both worlds situation and be in line with many small-ball, offensive-minded lineups around the league. Unfortunately, SNY NBA insider Ian Begley reported on Friday that head coach Tom Thibodeau has zero interest in using that pairing again in 2022-2023. Despite the combo supposedly producing positive numbers for the team in their minutes together on the court last season.
“One thing coming out of this practice was don’t expect to see Obi and Julius Randle in the same lineup. Tom Thibodeau again, for the second day, seemed very down on that pairing. And it was pointed out to him that the Obi-Julius lineup was actually a net positive in about 200 minutes last season. And he pushed back against that. He said, ‘I actually watched the games, and I know which parts of those 200 minutes came in blowouts and which parts came in consequential minutes. And when the game was on the line or up in the wair, we didn’t do well with those two on the floor.’ So don’t expect to see that pairing.”
Ian Belgey on a Toppin- Randle lineup
Thibodeau is a defensive coach. Always has been and always will be. It’s certainly unfortunate that Toppin won’t get more minutes for the Knicks fans hoping Thibodeau can turn him into a star for the team. It also isn’t helpful if the organization wants to increase Toppin’s trade value before the deadline.
However, the former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves coach gave it a try last season and he obviously hated what he saw from the defensively challenged big men.