Hoops Habit
Fansided

6 third-year NBA players that are in desperate need of a huge 2022-23 season

By Jacob Ellerbee

Third-year NBA players Deni Avdija, Wizards, & Obi Toppin, Knicks (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
Third-year NBA players Deni Avdija, Wizards, & Obi Toppin, Knicks (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
NBA player Obi Toppin
NBA player Obi Toppin, New York Knicks (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports) /

Third-year NBA forward Obi Toppin, New York Knicks

The No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has been vastly underwhelming thus far in his tenure with the New York Knicks. He was shockingly bad in his rookie season, mustering just 4.1 points per game throughout his 62 appearances in the 2020-21 season.

Last season, he showed a little more improvement in rebounding the ball and finding his open teammates, which translated into more playing time for the former Dayton standout. Head coach Tom Thibodeau gave Toppin a nice minutes increase, going from 11 MPG to 17.1 MPG in his sophomore season with the Knicks.

One of the biggest struggles for Toppin has been his three-point shooting. He just can’t seem to get beyond that 30% mark from deep. Another has been his inability to guard multiple positions, often getting blown by on defense, forcing the team’s backline defenders to rotate over and put them out of position.

Fortunately, Toppin has been hard at work on both of those things this past summer. He’s really got to show improvement in these two areas if he’s going to be in the future plans of the Knicks.

Third-year NBA forward Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls

For Patrick Williams, the No. 4 overall pick out of Florida State, 2022-23 is a make-or-break year for a player that was largely drafted on potential. The Chicago Bulls very much need to start seeing a return on their investment from the 21-year-old this season.

Despite competing in only 89 games in his career (including just 17 last season), head coach Billy Donovan needs Williams to accelerate his growth to help the Bulls be competitive in a crowded Eastern Conference.

Through his first three preseason games of this season, Williams has struggled in the nearly 20 minutes per game he’s been on the court. The 6’7″ forward has recorded averages of 7.3  PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.3 TOV. Williams has to get aggressive and play closer to the way we saw him compete during the Bulls’ five-game playoff run last season.