The 2020 NBA draft is now just days away. Here, we take a look at Obi Toppin, a player who is widely regarded as one of the best in this year’s draft class.
With this year’s NBA draft coming up on Wednesday, there are plenty of questions surrounding who will be chosen where. Obi Toppin is a player who’s been a constant throughout mock drafts this year as a top-five pick. Whether he goes early or slides down a few places, remains to be seen. However, his unique skill set and the performances that he gave during his sophomore year in Dayton make him a worthy choice for anyone with a top-pick in the draft.
In the 2019-20 season, Toppin led the Flyers to a 29-2 record, as they ranked third in the nation. They were one of the teams that suffered the most from the cancelation of the season, as they had the tools to make a run in March. But, this takes nothing away from the team’s performance, especially Toppin’s. The 22-year-old forward dominated the Atlantic-10 conference and the college scene as a whole, averaging 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He went on to win the National College Player of the Year award.
Toppin will enter the NBA as a player who is ready to make an impact straight off the bat and will be a huge snag for any of these lottery teams that he falls to. With there being so much time for teams to think about who they’ll take in this year’s draft, and the fact that there isn’t really a set-in-stone player for the number one pick like there has been in recent years, you could definitely make an argument for taking Toppin with one of the first few picks.
Mocks currently have him around No.5, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he becomes one of the most effective NBA players that come out of this draft. Landing in the right place will be important, but he has the tools to make a difference wherever he lands up, we’ll just have to wait and see if he does this.
Here, we’re going to profile Toppin as he enters this year’s draft, taking a look at his strengths and weaknesses:
2020 NBA Draft Profile
Name: Obi Toppin
Height: 6’9 (7’2 wingspan)
Weight: 220lbs
Position: Power Forward
College: Dayton
NBA Comparison: Amar’e Stoudemire
2019-20 Statistics
20.0 PPG
7.5 RPG
2.2 APG
63.3 FG%
39.0 3P%
70.2 FT%