Indy-pendence Day; New York Knicks Ex Obi Toppin Basks in Freedom Offered by Indiana Pacers After Trade

Obi Toppin insists there's nothing personal about his trade from the New York Knicks but lauded the relative freedom offered to him by the Indiana Pacers.

Indianapolis has its share of attractions and luxuries, like the shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo's or a stroll through the diverse racing history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

For Obi Toppin, however, the most attractive event might well be the ability to make a mistake. 

Toppin is only two games into his Circle City career as one of the newest members of the Indiana Pacers. But he's already sensing differences between the Pacers and his former employers, the New York Knicks, celebrating a sense of relative freedom afforded to him in a conversation with Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

“For me, being in the game, being in live games, it’s easier to say you can mess up on something and get better from it than it would be in practice. If you don’t play, you don’t get through your mistakes and you don’t learn," Toppin explained to Bondy. “I ain’t gotta worry about that here. … I can learn from mistakes. I can get better. I feel like it can take my game to another level.”

Toppin is enjoying the newfound freedom afforded to him in Indiana / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Toppin was burdened the second he entered the NBA realm as the eighth overall pick of the 2020 draft. The lottery pick pressure was likely daunting enough but his seat only got hotter in a New York sick of perpetual losing. 

The collegiate All-American and Brooklyn native was seen as a franchise cornerstone with Julius Randle struggling. But a combination of Randle's All-Star breakout and new head coach Tom Thibodeau's propensity to trust veterans over young newcomers made it hard for the Dayton alum to establish any sort of residency in the New York rotation. He averaged only 11 minutes in his rookie campaign before boosting that output to just over 17 in year two. 

But while Toppin was a confidant in Thibodeau's ironclad nine-man rotation established in the first quarter of last season, it was clear he was kept on a shorter leash than his companions. He played just over 15 minutes a game last year, a number no doubt affected by Randle's remarkable durability. Randle reverting to his All-Star form likely didn't help. 

Toppin came through big at the end when he took on a rare extended opportunity in the wake of Randle's late ankle injury that kept him out of the opening stages of the Knicks' 11-game playoff run. But even his serviceable postseason slate wasn't enough to justify his continued prescience. He was traded to Indiana over the summer for the unceremonious yield of two season-round picks. 

Indiana was perhaps the perfect place for Toppin to hit the reset button: the Pacers have a well-established franchise face in Tyrese Haliburton and are somewhat blessed with a consequence-free season where even a Play-In Tournament bid will be viewed as a sign of progress. The pressure, in fact, transfers to the Knicks: Toppin's insertion in Indiana's opening night starting five ensures that his progress at Gainbridge Fieldhouse will serve as a subplot all season. 

Patience rules the day in Indiana. Toppin has gotten his minutes but hasn't had to post inflated box scores just yet. With Haliburton and Myles Turner leading the way, Toppin has worked in peace, putting up 15 points and eight rebounds total in the Pacers' first two games, both wins. He played 24 on Monday against Chicago and pulled in eight boards in a 112-105 loss. 

Past and present teammates are in awe of what an unburdened Toppin is capable of.

“He was in a tough situation playing behind [Randle] and all that. Now he’s in a great situation,” Knicks guard Quentin Grimes told The Post. “I feel like he can go out and play through his mistakes, go out there and play with a guy like Tyrese who is a willing passer, a guy who is trying to make the pass 24/7. So that will be good for him.”

“The (stuff) that he does in practice or even games is insane," Pacers starter Bruce Brown added in the same report. "He does trick dunks in games, which is crazy. He’s doing great, shoots the ball really well, better than I thought he could. (He's) been a great player for us, super athletic.”

In the midst of it all, Toppin reiterated that he holds no ill will toward the Knicks, who did relatively little to replace Toppin's 6-9, 220-lb. frame in their lineup. 

“It’s nothing personal,” Toppin told The Post. “It’s just the business side of things. Obviously, I was upset at times but you've got to get past that.”

With the patient Pacers, Toppin will have plenty of time to do so.

The Knicks (1-2) don't face Toppin until Dec. 30 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. In the meantime, they conclude an early three-game road trip on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).