GOTTA GROW UP
Thibodeau challenges second-year pros to be Knicks’ leaders in Vegas
LAS VEGAS — After the Knicks were beaten by the Raptors 89-79 in their summer-league opener Sunday, head coach Tom Thiibodeau sat down with second-year players Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley for a lecture.
Thibodeau told the 2020 first-round picks, according to a source, they needed to demonstrate more leadership on the UNLV court because they are the veterans of the club.
The Knicks bounced back Monday with a 94-86 victory over the Pacers, with Quickley and Toppin leading the way. They combined for 54 points in the victory.
Quickley alluded to the leadership he and Toppin need to show on the summer-league team, which will resume action Wednesday against the Lakers (10 p.m., ESPN).
“I’ve been around a year,’’ Quickley said. “I’ve been in playoff games. Just continuing to spread my knowledge to the new guys, the young guys. Obi and I are doing a great job understanding we have to help these guys and communicate.’’
After a poor outing in the opener, Quickley reversed himself with a 32-point, eight-assist, one-turnover, two-steal outing. Toppin has been mostly solid while finally getting minutes after a rookie season buried behind Julius Randle at power forward.
Though the Dayton dunker shot 2-for-10 from 3-point range in the opener, Toppin is averaging 23 points in the two contests with rugged, high-energy, athletic play.
Twice against Indiana, Toppin turned misses into putbacks — a la Carmelo Anthony. Toppin was 3-for-6 from 3-point land, while maintaining his bully-ball inside game.
“I feel I’ve done pretty good,’’ Toppin said.
“Guys are just finding me in certain positions. I would like to shoot the 3 a little better. Every day is not going to be perfect. I put in a lot of work this summer. I’ve had a lot of guys helping me out — coaches, players, watching film.’’
Toppin and Quickley didn’t get to take part in summer league last year because of the pandemic, which extended the 2019-20 sea
son into August and delayed the draft until November.
After their rookie seasons, however, summer league coach Dice Yoshimoto said Toppin and Quickley were back in the gym with coaches two days after the Knicks were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Hawks.
Toppin, selected eighth overall last November, actually had a lively playoff series after his subpar regular season, and he drew “O-bi’’ chants from the Garden crowd.
Asked what he is emphasizing this offseason, Toppin said: “I feel like I’m most focused on my role on the team. I feel like I know my role. I know what I have to work on. I have a lot guys helping me this summer.’’
Toppin also was in Las Vegas last month with the U.S. Select Team, scrimmaging against the U.S. Olympians.
“It was great having an opportunity to come to Vegas and playing against the best players in the world — Dame Lillard, all those guys,’’ Toppin said. “To work with them and pick up little things, they were talking to me about, it helped me tremendously.”
Thibodeau felt Toppin was hurt by not being able to take place in a post-draft competition like summer league — even though he turned 23 in March.
The Brooklyn product won’t use that as an excuse, however, for not fulfilling lottery expectations during the season, in which he averaged just 11 minutes per game.
“As soon as guys were drafted, we were right in the camp working with coaches,” Toppin said. “We had a sense what it would be like.’’
Toppin added he still was “very curious” about summer league.
“So far it’s been a great experience,” he said.
Yoshimoto said he has been happy to see Toppin and Quickley get to shine on the Las Vegas stage. Wednesday’s contest could be their last before they are shut down.
“Any time you have a chance to get better,” Yoshimoto said. “They are gym rats, both of them. Obi and Quick, they came right back after the end of the season. They started working. It’s a great opportunity for them.”