Top 5 second-year NBA players having breakout seasons

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Obi Toppin #1 of the New York Knicks grabs a rebound in the second half against the Washington Wizards (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Second-year NBA players having breakout seasons this year: Obi Toppin

Obi Toppin is the only player on this list not averaging at least 10 points per game this season. But his improvements from his rookie season show that the next evolution could be coming for the New York Knicks forward.

In his second season, Toppin has essentially doubled his scoring, averaging 8.1 points per game off the bench. He’s also averaging 3.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game, both improvements on his rookie year.

Toppin is boosting his scoring despite struggling immensely from the perimeter. He’s hitting just 18.9 percent of his threes this season, down almost 12 percent year-over-year. That seems likely to push back up as the season unfolds.

The big man is being more aggressive about hunting for his shot. He’s taking 2.6 more shots per game this season. He’s also attempted five times as many free throws as he looks to get to the line more often. He has drawn 23 shooting fouls so far this season, nine more than he drew his entire rookie year.

Meanwhile, Toppin is continuing his march to become one of the most prolific dunkers in the league. He’s slammed it home 32 times this season. Twenty-seven percent of his field-goal attempts are dunks, the safest shot in the game.

Toppin’s usage is through the roof and he continues to separate himself as a valuable prospect for the Knicks. His breakout is in the making and could happen at a grander scale by the end of the season.