NBA Comparison: Kenyon Martin/Shawn Marion
Strengths: Toppin is a late blooming frontcourt prospect who seemingly come out of nowhere after a redshirt season in 2017-2018 to emerge as the best player and prospect in the A-10 conference in 2019-2020 and one of the top players and prospects in the nation … Has decent size for a PF prospect at 6’9, a 7-2 wingspan and around 230 lbs …Shows very good run-jump athleticism … An above the rim highlight machine, Toppin is a consistent finisher at the rim and looks to finish with authority much more often than not, even through contact … Lead the NCAA in dunks this season, and many of them were of the put back variety due to a quick 2nd jump and high energy … His experience playing the 5 for Dayton gives him positional versatility, as he has the ability to operate on the low post, mid range and even step out to the 3 point line and be effective, making him fit seamlessly as a 6’9 four man in the current NBA … His shooting fundamentals are a plus, as he shoots with consistent mechanics and a high release point, making him a potential floor spacing option … Showed the ability to create offense from the perimeter, hitting both catch and shoot but also creating some pull ups … His 39% from 3-point shows what a prolific shooter he has become … The fact that he shot a great clip on a high usage rate gives his ability to score at the next level a lot of intrigue … Can be effective as a roll man or a spot up shooter in the picking game, making him a formidable match up … Moves well without the ball and shows natural instincts … Quite efficient and makes smart decisions on the court, unselfish player and has good passing ability, as his near even a/to ratio from a forward attests … Solid as a defender at the college level in each of his 2 seasons, pretty good fundamentals and IQ on that end and gives good focus and consistency … His considerable improvements each year suggest a player with the smarts and work ethic necessary to find a way to succeed/thrive at the next level … Handled not catching teams by surprise and having the attention on him very well this season, proving his RFr season was not a fluke and just the tip of the iceberg … Despite being older, shows potential to develop his offensive game further, having shown a great deal of improvement in the past year … Has one of the highest floors of any player available in this year’s draft … A coachable, team oriented guy. Shows very good leadership and maturity, and figures to make an excellent teammate at the next level …
Weaknesses: Though a standout athlete with nice size, Toppin doesn’t seem to possess great foot quickness, and will likely have some struggles defending on the perimeter in match ups with quicker 4’s … Appears somewhat stiff in his upper body and shoulders, but flexibility could be improved upon over time … Given his leaping skills and length, as well as the size advantage he enjoys in most matchups with A-10 big men, Toppin is an average overall rebounder at best (7.6 rpg this season, 5.8 rpg as a Fr) … Perhaps his rebounding can improve with focus on core strength, and work on fundamentals … Though he’s been solid on defense in college, he does not project to be much of a shot blocker or threat in the passing lanes at the NBA level, giving him a unspectacular ceiling on that end of the floor … Doesn’t have many moves, as a low post player he prefers to almost exclusively use right handed jump hooks when he can’t simply dunk the ball, and he hasn’t showed much off the bounce when facing up either … Not much a shot creator … Turned 22 in March making him older than the average lottery pick … Though he proved to be a very good 3-point shooter, his 70% from the FT line is an area he needs to improve upon …
Overall: Toppin made a name for himself with his outstanding play in the last 2 seasons for a Dayton team that has a good track record of success as a “mid major” program … He led Dayton to a 29-2 record and 18-0 in conference … There is something to be said for a player who continually exceeds expectations after going from under the radar, to having a target on his back every night …Toppin was overlooked a year ago, having been denied an invite to the 2019 NBA Draft combine … He has some strong potential in the pick and roll/pop game, and is an efficient player with an intriguing combination of a good shooting stroke and above the rim athletic ability …He’s currently not much off the dribble, is a surprisingly mediocre rebounder and his lateral quickness is somewhat questionable for a 4 man, but he is a hard-working, efficient player who has more strengths than weaknesses and figures to be among the first players to come off the board on draft night … Has made it known that he would love to join the Golden State Warriors who go into the lottery with the best chance of landing the top pick and at worst will be drafting fifth … Figures to be drafted somewhere in the top half of the lottery … Has All Star potential if his offensive game continues to develop and he lands in a good situation …
Notes: Has a reported 7-2 wingspan … Swept the National Player of the Year honors (Naismith, AP and John Wooden awards) …
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