2020 NBA draft profile: What can be expected of Obi Toppin?

NBA draft profile: Obi Toppin’s overall outlook

Current mock drafts have Toppin all over the place, from a top-five pick towards the later stages of the lottery. There’s no doubt that Toppin is one of the best players in this draft class, it’s just a question over which team thinks he suits their needs best. After the likes of LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and James Wiseman are selected, turning down Toppin would be a hard choice to make. You know you’re getting a dominant player if you select the Dayton forward, and there’ll be plenty of teams eyeing him up.

For Toppin, early on, it’ll be important to land in a situation where he can make an impact on things straight away. Teams like the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers who both have early selections would be good landing spots. These are teams that have no frontcourt plans set in stone going forward, and teams that Toppin could come into and dominate on any given night, as well as progressing his game in rebuilding situations, where they’re trying to get better.

He is already great, but is hopefully far away from his ceiling, if he goes to one of these teams which are starting from the bottom up, then Toppin’s progression could find the same trajectory.

As a power forward with the ability to play as an undersized center, Toppin can provide an NBA team with the frame and skill set that’s needed to dominate in the post. But he also brings point forward-like abilities whether that be his ability to move the ball to his teammates, or his plus-level dribbling for someone of his position.

His game should translate to the NBA level directly without any issues. Due to this, and the fact that he is so good at what he does, the possibility of drafting Toppin is an exciting one for any team that’s in a position to do so come Wednesday’s draft.