The rotation-strapped Knicks will be without Obi Toppin for at least the next few weeks.
The reserve power forward suffered an undisplaced fracture of his right fibula in the second quarter of Wednesday’s win over the Hawks at the Garden. Toppin, 24, will be reevaluated in two to three weeks, the team said Thursday.
Toppin, the reigning NBA Slam Dunk champion, averaged 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game in his third NBA season after the Knicks took him with the eighth overall pick out of Dayton in the 2020 draft. entered He also shot a career-best 35.1 percent from 3-point range, up from 30.7 percent over his first two seasons.
The Brooklyn native limped after a knee-to-knee collision with Atlanta’s Aaron Holiday in the second quarter on Wednesday. Toppin remained in the game briefly, but the Knicks announced at halftime that he would not return.
Toppin’s absence could open up a spot in the Knicks’ nine-man rotation for bench reliever Cam Reddish, although coach Tom Thibodeau said after Wednesday’s game that starting wing RJ Barrett will start. ich said the forward could see minutes when Julius Randle isn’t on the floor.
“We’ll figure it out,” Thibodeau said. “I like the idea of RJ being there. I think he showed us last year how effective he can be at the four, so I think that could be a possibility.
Veteran guards Derrick Rose (two games) and Evan Fournier (12) have also been taken out of the rotation by Thibodeau, Quentin Grimes has moved into the starting lineup and second-year guard Myles McBride has also been benched lately. games.
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