Obi Toppin and Myles Turner growing frontcourt partnership early for Indiana Pacers
Obi Toppin spent three seasons with the New York Knicks, and he never played with a floor-spacing big man like Myles Turner.
In Toppin's nearly 3,000 career minutes, the center he has played with most often is Taj Gibson. In their overlapping playing time, Gibson hit a total of seven threes, per pbpstats. Isaiah Hartenstein is next on the playing time list, he's got 589 career minutes with Toppin. He made one three when the two shared the floor. Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims both made — and attempted — zero, and Nerlens Noel went 0/1 from deep while playing with Toppin. The now-Pacers forward has shared the floor with five different centers for 100+ minutes, and they made a combined eight threes.
Turner, meanwhile, made nearly 100 threes last season alone and is a 35.5% shooter from deep for his career. Toppin's new team, the Indiana Pacers, can give him something that the Knicks never could: space.
"Obi can shoot, Obi can spread the defense out. He can also put pressure on the rim with lobs and that type of stuff where I can space and shoot," Turner said of his new teammate. "So it should be a natural fit."
Toppin was traded to Indiana in July for two second-round draft picks. It was an easy decision for the Pacers to make that deal at that price.
"These guys [are] great. It's easy to catch on to things quickly with these guys," Toppin said Wednesday. "The coaches [are] amazing, players amazing. It's easy to catch on to things."
The former top-eight pick didn't get many extended opportunities in New York, and the blue and gold were able to take a swing on the young four man. In Indiana, Toppin will see more minutes, more space, and an overall better fit. He thrives in the open floor, and the Pacers ranked second in transition frequency last season. They like to run, and the Dayton product excels in those moments.
"He's shooting the ball well. We know he can run like a deer. I think for him, he obviously has a very good opportunity here. Day-to-day, just come in and just keep building on little things," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Toppin. "One of his challenges is that he's tall and angular, so the velocity he runs, stopping and getting his balance is a bit of a challenge. He's got to learn to set his base for his shot. But he's a sponge. He's a wonderful guy to work with every day."
Carlisle shared that he's seen a lot of good things from Toppin so far. On Wednesday, the 25-year old forward was a finalist in the team's one-on-one tournament that they have been doing during practices. His skill is already shining.
He's a good stylistic fit with the blue and gold, but his fit with Turner is what takes things over the top. Not only will Toppin be able to flash his transition brilliance, but he will have more room and opportunities to shine in the halfcourt thanks to his dynamic with Turner.
Both players were above 34% from deep last season, and they can credibly get by closeouts in a way that forces them to be guarded. They can each make plays at the rim and as a roll man. Their fit in the frontcourt could be excellent for the Pacers.
"Myles, he does a lot defensively and offensively. Him being able to stretch the floor, pop out to the perimeter, allows me to be in the paint a little bit," Toppin said. "Use my athleticism. If I roll, he pops type of thing. I feel like me and Myles will be pretty good together."
More minutes are coming Toppin's way this season. He has yet to reach 18 minutes per game in a season during his career, but that could change with Indiana. On day one of camp, he worked with the projected starting lineup, and he has a chance to earn the starting job in the coming weeks.
He has started 15 games in his career, and in those outings the bouncy forward averaged 20.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. His shooting splits in those games are 57.6/44.0/83.7. When he gets a chance and can feel out a game, he's been at his best.
That's far too small of a sample size to make any conclusions, but it does suggest that more minutes could benefit Toppin. Some players perform better with a more structured role, regardless of how significant it is.
Playing with Turner, and playing in a fast-paced setting, should help Toppin continue to be impactful. "I just feel like we do the defensive things out there. Offense is just going to come," Toppin said of the frontcourt duo before gushing about Turner's defense.
The new Pacer has been working on his defense to improve his abilities in the halfcourt. He also can take space, cut hard, and shoot when he's open. His abilities on the fast break are more well known, but Toppin has been working on his game in slowed-down settings. He wants to be more well-rounded with the Pacers.
Should those skills become in-game threats, they will only improve Toppin's fit with Indiana, and with Turner. "It's a real asset to have two bigs, four and five, that can both shoot the three-point shot easily," Carlisle said. "Both are very good runners and very good rim runners, so we can put early pressure on the rim."
As the Pacers look to add to their core, Obi Toppin will try to prove he is a long-term piece. Fitting well alongside Myles Turner will help.
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