With the NBA Draft finally behind us, it’s time to grade Obi Toppin and the rest of the picks from the New York Knicks’ 2020 class of rookies.
The New York Knicks drafted two rookies this year in Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks also signed Myles Powell, an undrafted rookie, to an Exhibit 10 contract (an invitational contract to training camp). Let’s evaluate how the Knicks made out.
Over the last few weeks, the Knicks fanbase is starting to become enamored with the rookies, which is a change from the mixed emotions on draft night. Some fans were ecstatic with the Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley selections, while other were disappointed because the Knicks passed up on drafting picks such as Devin Vassell, Tyrese Halliburton, Kira Lewis, Desmond Bane, Tyrell Terry, Malachi Flynn, and so forth.
Likely fueling the disappointment was that the extended offseason gave fanatics a chance to do more research than usual on this year’s prospects, and some grew attached to individual players. In addition, some fans were upset because they believed that New York selected Toppin and Quickley based on their ties to Creative Artist Agency (“CAA”) and the University of Kentucky – CAA represents Toppin, and Quickley attended Kentucky. For those of you who don’t remember, Leon Rose was one of the top agents from CAA, and Assistant Coach Kenny Payne was an assistant coach at Kentucky.
However, the concept that Toppin and Quickley were only selected because of their connections is overblown. There are instances where nepotism can lead to suboptimal choices, but there is something to be said for front offices selecting players who have connections to their old employment if that relationship helps get the best intel on these players. And in this instance, the connections to CAA and Kentucky shouldn’t cause a problem because these players have the resumes that justify them being selected at their draft position (I’ll get into that later).
For those of you who still doubt what I am saying and still believe that CAA alone (not talent or fit) is the main reason that Toppin was selected over players like Vassell and Haliburton, keep in mind that CAA represents these two players who were also on the Knicks radar (*shrug emoji*).
But as I noted earlier, it appears the fanbase is starting to have a change of heart towards the new additions to the Knickerbockers (especially with the help of the rookies’ media appearances). Before we get into the grading of each player, let’s get an understanding of how I graded each selection:
- Where was the player projected in the draft?
- What are their strengths and what do they add to the team?
- What are their weaknesses and how do they impact the team?
- Were there better prospects the Knicks should’ve considered?