Obi Toppin defends Victor Wembanyama well in Toppin's best game of season: 'I thought he was really good'
Obi Toppin isn't known for his defense, but the Indiana Pacers starting four man was needed for a tough task earlier this week. With Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in town, Toppin was Indiana's best option against the seven-foot-five-inch French sensation.
"It's going to be fun though, playing against them," Toppin said of the matchup. He was giving up eight inches to the Spurs rookie.
Myles Turner, the tallest Pacers starter, had to handle Zach Collins down low. Bruce Brown, Indiana's best perimeter defender to open games, is too short for Wembanyama. There was no other option. It was going to be Toppin's matchup.
Fortunately, Toppin was up for it. He stayed in front of the tall big man all night, keeping him away from the rim and forcing him to think when he caught the ball. Toppin's plan was to be physical with Wenbanyama, and that strategy worked.
Early in the game — just over two minutes in — Toppin fouled his matchup down low right after a catch. It looked like a perilous moment, perhaps a sign that Toppin's only hope was extra contact. Instead, that was the plan. He wanted to set the tone.
It worked. While Toppin's physicality led to three fouls, he kept Wembanyama honest and forced him to consider his every move. The French big man would be bumped and contested at every turn.
"He's a very good player," Toppin said. He tried with all of his athletic ability to block one of Wembanyama's shots, but ended up fouling him on the wrist at the peak of his jump. "You think you can block his shot, but you can't."
While that one play ended with a whistle, Toppin's defense was excellent. He held Wembanyama to 1/3 shooting and two turnovers as his primary matchup. The Spurs rookie star finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but it took him over 21 minutes to do so. He shot 3/12 from the field. The Pacers, and Toppin, defended him well.
"I thought he was really good," Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said of Toppin's performance in the game. "I thought Obi did a great job defensively and offensively of making him defend."
Haliburton was right to point out the offensive side of the ball. While Toppin's defense was the story — it was without a doubt his best defensive game of the season — he also had a great offensive night. Toppin finished with 19 points on just 11 shots, and he added two rebounds, one assist, and two steals. He had a wonderful outing.
It was all ignited by his defense. "Defense is always going to turn into good offense. Especially with us, we're so good in transition.," Toppin said after the game. "The more defensive stops we get, the more fun we have offensively."
He was engaged on both ends all night, and it allowed him to get to his spots and finish plays. Haliburton said that the team had to make some adjustments in the prior week to get Toppin and Turner going, and those adjustments worked well in this game. Those two combined for 34 points.
Toppin, who Indiana traded for back in July, is still figuring out where his shots are going to come from with his new team. But it's clear that he's figuring it out and not guessing anymore. He called himself and Bruce Brown the dirty guys, they will make hustle plays and be available to contribute on offense when they're open — or when the matchup calls for it.
"I'm basically playing off of the other guys," Toppin said. The ball will find him more on some nights than others. That's why he wants to nail the little things, including defense.
He certainly did while matched up with Webanyama, and it led to his best game of the season. Indiana outscored San Antonio by 25 with Toppin on the floor in the win, one of the best figures on the team. He was excellent on a night when the Pacers needed him to be at his best.
His numbers don't leap off the page, but Toppin has been solid for the Pacers so far. Through nine games, he's averaging 9.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 54.2% from the field.
"I just love the vibe that he has every day," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Toppin. "He's authentically grateful to be a teammate on this team."
Carlisle has been impressed that Toppin doesn't take bad shots and plays within the team's structure. That's exactly how Indiana wants to operate, and Toppin did exactly that against the Spurs. His best game as a Pacer was crucial in a win.
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