New York Knicks forward and fan favorite Obi Toppin has missed nearly a month of action after suffering a right knee fracture. The last time Toppin saw the court for the Knicks was back on December 7th against the Atlanta Hawks, a game the ‘Bockers went on to win. However, an encouraging and recent injury update hints at the possibility that he may make his long-awaited return as soon as Wednesday's game against the Spurs.
The Knicks have upgraded Toppin's status from doubtful to questionable for Wednesday, per a tweet from Newsday Sports' Steve Popper. Point guard Derrick Rose is also questionable for New York with a contused left knee, and RJ Barrett will remain due to a lacerated index finger on his right hand.
Obi Toppin, 24, is in his third year in the NBA, all with the Knicks, after the franchise drafted him with the eighth overall pick back in 2020. He's averaging 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks across 25 appearances this season (zero starts). After struggling to shoot the ball accurately from behind the arc during his first two seasons in the league, Toppin looks like a much-improved three-point shooter in year three. The former Dayton standout is converting 35.1% of his long-range shots on 3.9 attempts per contest, both career highs.
Even if Toppin is feeling up to playing Wednesday night, don't expect head coach Tom Thibodeau to throw him a lot of minutes from the get-go. After all, Toppin has been out for a long time, and he's only averaging 17.1 minutes this season to boot.
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