Obi Toppin being true to himself will make him as effective as possible for Indiana Pacers

Toppin is entering season two with the Pacers

Oct 10, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jules Bernard (14) defends Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

INDIANAPOLIS — Obi Toppin almost always has a smile. He's beloved, and a great teammate who is also a valuable player is someone that should be kept around. That's what the Indiana Pacers did in the offseason as they retained Toppin on a four-year deal that is guaranteed for $58 million.

The 26-year old was traded to Indiana before the 2023-24 campaign, and he looked like someone who could be an excellent stylistic fit next to star guard Tyrese Haliburton. He's a blur in transition and lives above the rim, a nice piece to have next to one of the NBA's best passers.

When the prior season began, Toppin was a starter. That planted him on the floor with Haliburton as much as possible. Yet two months into the season, the Brooklyn native was moved to the bench. The Pacers wanted defense and rebounding in their starting five and moved Toppin to the second unit.

His effectiveness hardly dipped. Toppin continued to thrive even when playing in units led by T.J. McConnell, and that was possible due to improved three-point shooting from the Dayton product. He focused on his technique and developed into a 40% shooter from long range.

By the end of the campaign, it didn't matter who else was on the floor. Toppin could be effective, particularly on offense, and he split time in the postseason between the four and five positions. He's now back with the Pacers to do it all again.

"He's one of our important guys off the bench," head coach Rick Carlisle said of Toppin. "He could always shoot."

Then, the head coach added more. "His biggest improvements were defensively and with rebounding.
We need him to concentrate on those two things. Offensively, I'm not worried about him."

Last year, Toppin made strides. This year, to do so again. he will need to improve his defensive capabilities and hit the glass harder. Role and surrounding talent play a part in this, but Toppin had a better rebound percentage his first two seasons than he did last year with the Pacers — it's plausible that he has more to contribute in that area.

The Pacers need it. They were a flimsy rebounding team last season, and any boost they can get on the boards without sacrificing their identity is critical. As for defense, just about every Pacer needs to improve on that end of the court. The blue and gold were about 1.6 points per 100 possessions worse on the defensive end when Toppin was on the floor last year.

He is 26, but Toppin is just four seasons into his career. It's reasonable to expect development this season, and if he can grow into a more effective player on the less glamorous end of the floor, that would go a long way for his team. At his size, he could be a useful piece on that side of the ball. Perhaps his growth on defense could come simply by being more effective at grabbing a rebound and ending possessions.

"Honestly, I want to be the same guy as last year. Bring the energy," Toppin said of his own makeup. "Obviously improving shooting, improving defense, improving rebounding. That's what I want to improve on, more defensive stuff, rebounding, one-on-one defense, stuff like that. Offense,I feel like our whole team is... gifted offensively. Defense is the biggest thing for us."

Oct 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) rebounds the ball in the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The 2020 lottery pick averaged 10.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season. It was his first-ever campaign reaching double-digit scoring numbers, and that figure maintained in the postseason. Indiana's goals are about the playoffs now, and even without a good defensive year, Toppin was a plus in the postseason as the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

Making 67% of his two-point shots on the biggest stage certainly helped. "Just playing true to himself. Playing the right way. Taking what defenses give him. Not forcing anything. And just being comfortable letting the ball fly," Haliburton said of Toppin's effectiveness before noting that his teammate was big in the playoffs as a shooter. "Just cool to see him grow, going to continue to grow alongside him."

With how much Toppin improved last season, the hope would be that he can do it again this year. He worked out frequently in Los Angeles this summer ahead of his second season with the Pacers, and this is first full offseason with the franchise.

Indiana hopes to take a step forward defensively across the board. They were better after the All-Star break last year and are working in some zone defense concepts. The blue and gold will be far more threatening if they can get stops even at a nearly-average rate.

Toppin taking a step forward on that end of the floor would go a long way toward making that possible. "Being able to guard one through five, being able to guard guards, point guards, bigs, all around players," Toppin said of his offseason work. "Being able to switch on anybody. I feel like I worked on that a lot this summer, guarding different people."

The five-year pro will have his first chance to show off his improvements tonight in Detroit. Toppin's attitude and skill make him a great fit with the Pacers, but he could end up being an excellent fit if he improves in the manner that he hopes.

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