#25 JT Toppin
6'9 | Forward | Texas Tech | 06/24/2005
Cerebro Player Profile: JT Toppin
Big Board Rankings 1.0 (@ twitter ):
Evaluation by: @the_nbagell
On offense, Toppin lives in the dunker spot. He stretched it out to three occasionally, attempting nearly one attempt per game and making 11 3s on the year. However, his free throw percentage was just 56.5% so that’s indicative of him not developing into a stretch four. Toppin’s bread and butter is being an offensive rebounder. He averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds per game last year, which is probably the most impressive part of the evaluation. When Toppin gets an offensive rebounder, he has a tendency to go back up with it automatically. Additionally, Toppin doesn’t take contact well, so he struggles to finish when he gets the offensive rebound. He shoots 63.2% on putbacks. He also doesn’t have great touch and misses way too many easy buckets. He doesn’t cut to the basket as much as you’d like, and he isn’t a screen setter that often.
Toppin runs the floor well, which allows him to get back in transition. When defending the perimeter, Toppin slides his feet well but he gets beat by guards driving to the basket too often. In the post, Toppin gets great positioning but he’s too small to always handle those assignments. On jumpers, Toppin has excellent anticipation timing, but his closeouts sometimes appear lazy. He uses his length to contest shots well and always has his hands up on the shooter. Additionally, Toppin bites on fakes far too frequently. There’s a scenario that due to his ability to slide his feet that he can work in an NBA’s team switchable defensive scheme. He blocks a good amount of shots for his size and plays passing lanes well. Toppin, just like on offense, is an excellent defensive rebounder.
https://twitter.com/thecenterhub_bb/status/1835731344531640410
Toppin measured at 6’7” at the NBA Draft Combine last year without shoes. At that size, he’s more of a wing size than a big, but he’s a true four man. While my offensive evaluation sounded like an indictment on Toppin, most of the negative things mentioned are more of bad habits and can be coached out of him. I was in awe watching Toppin’s positioning on every rebound. Toppin also has shown some mild passing chops but he needs to take better care of the basketball, as his assist to turnover ratio was a dismal .58. Toppin is coming off a year where he won Mountain West Freshman of the Year, where he averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. After testing the NBA draft waters and attending the draft combine, Toppin withdrew from the draft, entered the transfer portal, and committed to Texas Tech.
https://twitter.com/thecenterhub_bb/status/1835732185535717400
https://twitter.com/thecenterhub_bb/status/1835733310255067281
While Toppin is seen as a 3 and D stretch four, the shot doesn’t seem like it’ll translate. On offense, he’s probably the best offensive rebounder in this class, he just needs to learn when to go back up with it and when to pass up a contested putback. He always seems to be in great position, though for offensive rebounds or post ups, and that cannot be emphasized enough. On defense, he runs the floor like a gazelle and is able to move his feet well on the perimeter. From watching him, it appears he prefers to defend the post, but he’ll need to get stronger. Again, his positioning is excellent but he often gets pushed off his spots, which is odd given he already weighs 221 lbs.
Overall, Toppin has the tools and intangibles that NBA teams covet for a modern day power forward. When watching him run the floor, move his feet on the perimeter, post up bigger players, and box out anybody in the country, it’s easy to see Toppin as a first round pick. However, due to a lot of the issues mentioned in this evaluation, he still needs time to put it all together. Had Toppin entered the draft last season, he likely would’ve been a two-way contract guy. Playing in the Big 12 this year should allow him to work on those issues against better competition and he should move up draft boards as a result.