2 Duds, 1 stud from Indiana Pacers ugly loss to Memphis Grizzlies
By Jack Simone
Stud - Obi Toppin
It’s been an up-and-down season for Obi Toppin, who joined the Indiana Pacers this past summer by way of an offseason trade with the New York Knicks.
Offensively, Toppin’s elite athleticism has paired nicely with Tyrese Haliburton, giving the point guard a top-tier lob threat to work with. However, his three-point shot has been wildly inconsistent.
Defensively, Toppin has left a lot to be desired, as he’s not quick enough to keep up with opposing players on the perimeter, and he’s not quite strong enough to guard bigs.
That said, against the Memphis Grizzlies, he had himself a nice night, leading the Pacers in +/- at a +9 on the night and putting in work on the offensive end.
Toppin ended the game with a team-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds, one assist, and two steals while shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-9 from behind the three-point line.
Indiana’s starting lineup put up a solid shift against the Grizzlies, and Toppin was a big part of that, draining his triples on a night the Pacers desperately needed him to. It just wasn’t enough to get the job done.
If Toppin can improve on the defensive end and nail down his three-point shot, his starting job should be safe. Whether or not he can do that is another question in and of itself.