Obi Toppin arrived in New York as one of the most athletic players in the draft class this year and the former Dayton Flyers forward hasn’t disappointed in that department so far during Knicks training camp.
The eighth overall pick has been extensively preparing for the start of the season during training camp with his conditioning a priority. He has been working with assistant coach Kenny Payne on different conditioning tests in order to be ready for practice each day.
Toppin even asked about the highest score for a conditioning test and then went out onto the court and beat it. He explained what those conditioning tests entail Sunday during a Zoom call with reporters.
“We just have to go up and down, full-court 10 times in under a minute,” Toppin said. “I have done plenty of them doing it with [Payne] so running up and down with the guys, my wind is perfectly fine. I hardly get tired and I think I’m pretty ready on the conditioning side.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau likes the roster makeup this season with plenty of youth on their side. Thibodeau believes the younger players will allow the team to play at a faster pace this season and will look to use that to their advantage.
Toppin has impressed those around him in training camp due to his work ethic, including teammate RJ Barrett. Certainly, Toppin will be ready when the Knicks begin preseason play on Dec. 11 against the Detroit Pistons.
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