CLEVELAND — Obi Toppin received his first starting assignment of the season for the Knicks as the injury replacement for All-Star forward Julius Randle.
Randle will be reevaluated in two weeks after spraining his left ankle in Wednesday’s win over the Heat, meaning he will miss at least the final five games of the year beginning with Friday’s road showdown against the Cavaliers.
“Whether he starts or comes off the bench, just get in there and play to your strengths. I have a lot of confidence in him,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Toppin before the game. “And I think he’s going to play well.”
Toppin, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Dayton, made 10 starts last season, including the final five games of the year when Randle was shut down with a quad injury.
The Brooklyn native posted 27.5 points per game in those five appearances, but entering Friday he has averaged just 6.3 points and 14.4 minutes this season in 62 games off the bench.
Julius Randle’s sprained ankle will keep him out through at least the end of the regular season. Getty Images“He just factors in,” Thibodeau said of Toppin. “It’s, ‘OK, what does Obi do well?’ So he runs the floor; he’s good at moving the ball side to side; he’s good with dribble handoffs. There’s a lot of things that he brings. He’s a quick decision-maker.
“So we want to take advantage of that part of it … Obi’s played with the starters before. So just get in there and play to your strengths. Put the team first, and cover up your weaknesses.”
Obi Toppin could draw some added duties with Randle sidelined. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Jalen Brunson missed extended time with a couple of injuries, but will have to step back up with Randle out. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Jalen Brunson missed seven games earlier in March with foot and hand injuries before returning Wednesday night against the Heat.
He had his right hand wrapped in ice after Friday’s morning shootaround, added that he “jammed it” during the Knicks’ loss in Miami on March 22, before sitting out two games with a sprained right hand.
“It just swelled up and I had to do everything I can to get it down and [make it] less painful,” Brunson said.
The $104 million point guard added that all tests on his hand came back negative, but he’s also continued doing maintenance on the sore left foot that sidelined him for five out of six games a few weeks ago.
“[The foot] feels better. I do still have to just kind of keep it going,” Brunson said.
