Pacers Remove Obi Toppin From Starting Lineup as Knicks' Visit Looms

Former New York Knick Obi Toppin was removed from the Indiana Pacers' starting five mere days before he's set to face his original NBA employers for the first time.

A familiar plot has surfaced in the Obi Toppin saga.

The New York Knicks' first-round pick from the 2020 draft is once again dealing with questions about his playing time, as he was removed from the Indiana Pacers' starting five prior to their Tuesday night tilt against the Houston Rockets. New York is slated to visit Indianapolis to face the Pacers on Saturday night in their final game of the calendar year. 

Toppin, the eighth overall pick in 2020, was traded to Indiana last summer after three years with the Knicks. He had started all but one of the Pacers' prior 28 games and was replaced by fellow 2020 draftee Jalen Smith. With the second unit, Toppin played just under 15 minutes and paired seven points with three assists in a 123-117 victory. 

Trevor Ruszkowski, USA TODAY Sports

Knicks observers are no strangers to the Toppin conundrum: the Dayton alum never found a consistent role in New York, averaging under 16 minutes a game in his three seasons. Toppin's Manhattan drama ended when the Knicks dealt him for a meager return of future second-round draft picks in July. Saturday's game will mark the first time the two teams face each other since the trade. 

Granted a starring opportunity in Indiana, Toppin has found a bit of an offensive groove, averaging a career-best 11.9 points and leading the league with a 75.8 success rate from two-point range. Indiana, however, apparently sought to make a change defensively.

Since a breakout run at the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament (repping the Eastern Conference in the championship final in Las Vegas), Indiana (15-14) has dropped six of its last nine and has allowed over 126 points a game in that span. The Pacers have fallen out of the East's top six and currently hold one of the Play-In Tournament spots in eighth, two games behind the Knicks (17-12) in sixth. 

Obi Toppin Trade: Who's to Blame For Knicks' Failure?

Removing Toppin from the starting five wasn't the only move the Pacers made on Tuesday, as they also promoted Aaron Nesmith, who stepped in for Buddy Hield. The gambit paid off as Houston was held to under 21 percent from three-point range, a season-worst for an Indiana opponent. 

Both teams have one game before their anticipated weekend showdown: the Pacers head to Chicago on Thursday night while the Knicks face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, MSG).