With Myles Turner now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Indiana Pacers are expected to give Obi Toppin more opportunites as a small-ball center. This will give him more chances to further showcase his value in Indiana, and it may be what helps him realize his full potential with the team.
There have been some talks about what Toppin’s outlook for this season will look like without Tyrese Haliburton, who will miss the entire season with an Achilles injury. It’s believed that his offensive value will drastically drop without the Wisconsin native setting him up. Additionally, there are reasons to believe he could be a trade candidate for the Pacers.
However, the 27-year-old has a great opportunity to silence his doubters this season as he prepares to take on a new role.
As the Pacers look to navigate through life without Turner following his shocking departure in free agency, they will look to rely on several options to replace his value, not commit to a one-for-one replacement.
Currently, the Pacers have four centers rostered: Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, Tony Bradley, and James Wiseman. It remains to be seen if all four of them will be on the team’s regular season roster, but as it stands, they will each be a part of Indiana’s center-by-committee.
However, it doesn’t stop there for the Pacers.
With Turner no longer on the roster, the Pacers will have an opportunity to roll out smaller lineups and utilize a small-ball center more frequently. This is where Toppin comes in to play, and he should be able to thrive in this new role. He already has experience closing games as Indiana’s center, and now, he should be able to take on this responsibility more often as the team experiments with its roster.
Obi Toppin should thrive as a small-ball center for the Pacers
He is traditionally listed as a forward, but there is a debate to be had about whether Toppin’s best role in Indiana is as a small-ball center.
Most teams run small-ball lineups to prioritize speed and spacing. This is crucial to Indiana’s success on the offensive side of the ball given its run-and-gun style, and the New York native is the perfect player to make this work.
Toppin is athletic, quick, and he brings a lot of energy whenever he steps onto the court. Furthermore, he has developed into a reliable three-point shooter since getting traded to the Pacers (38.3 3FG% from deep in his last two seasons). This helps his ability to stretch the floor and become a legitimate weapon for the team at center.
Last season, Toppin had a career year in Indiana. In 79 games, he averaged 10.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 52.9% from the field. These are solid numbers for him. However, in a new role, he should be able to get more touches and be in line for a statistical spike, even without Haliburton.
Back in January, the Pacers were without Turner as he was dealing with a head injury. In his place, the team gave Toppin more minutes at center.
Following this decision, head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about the benefits of having the Dayton alum at center, and it could be exactly what makes him thrive this season (h/t Tony East of Forbes).
“With Obi at five, we are going to be faster,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ll have other challenges without (starting center) Myles [Turner] in there. We’ll have to show crowds, swarm, and swarm rebounds.”
There are reasons to be excited about Toppin getting more minutes at center. He is familiar with this role and has looked good in the past. Plus, it gives the Pacers an offensive advantage on the court, and given their outlook for this season, they need as many of those as possible.
Toppin has excelled since joining the Pacers in 2023. Now, he will have an opportunity to make his biggest jump with the team yet. If he can make that jump that many believe he can, the Pacers may be able to make some noise in the East, even when everybody is counting them out.
