{"id":90509,"date":"2024-08-14T17:13:50","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T21:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=90509"},"modified":"2024-08-14T17:13:50","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T21:13:50","slug":"knicks-re-sign-new-york-native-jacob-toppin-to-two-way-contract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/14\/knicks-re-sign-new-york-native-jacob-toppin-to-two-way-contract\/","title":{"rendered":"Knicks Re-Sign New York Native to Two-Way Contract"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Earlier this summer, the New York Knicks signed rookies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hukpoar01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ariel Hukporti<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcculke01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin McCullar<\/a> to a pair of two-way contracts. Every team is given three two-way contract spots, meaning the Knicks had to be strategic with their final spot ahead of the 2024-25 season. According to an official statement they put out on social media, the team has signed a familiar face to their final two-way contract&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/toppija01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacob Toppin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nyknicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@nyknicks<\/a> Sign Jacob Toppin to Two-Way Contract <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FBCjRhbfZk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/FBCjRhbfZk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NY_KnicksPR\/status\/1823804363875504238?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The 24-year-old, brother of former Knicks forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/toppiob01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Obi Toppin<\/a>, joined the team as an undrafted free agent last season. In nine games, he averaged 1.4 points on 55.6% from the floor in 4.2 minutes. Additionally, he took part in <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/02\/06\/nba-news-2024-slam-dunk-contestants-announced\/\" target=\"_self\">this year&#8217;s Slam Dunk Contest<\/a>. While his NBA stats are forgettable, Toppin enjoyed a good season in the G League. Playing for the Westchester Knicks, the forward averaged 19.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 25 games. Additionally, Toppin shot 48.8% from the field and 33.8% from the three-point line.<\/p>\n<p>Last November, Knicks head coach spoke about Toppin and sang his praises <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/11\/26\/sports\/jacob-toppin-putting-up-gaudy-numbers-in-g-league-for-knicks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">for the Brooklyn native<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI like him a lot,\u201d Tom Thibodeau said. \u201cI like the way he works. He\u2019s done a good job. I think just for him, the challenge will be developing consistency with his shot. But he\u2019s a very good all-around player.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Knicks Re-Sign New York Native to Two-Way Contract<\/h2>\n<h3>Jacob Toppin Probably Will Spend Most of His Time in the G League<\/h3>\n<p>Toppin has the potential to be a solid player in the NBA. However, it seemed clear during his rookie season that there is still a lot of work cut out for him. Toppin has the tools to be a solid rebounder and defender in the league. With more time in the G League, he should continue to develop and maybe become a rotational player in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>Whether Toppin can eventually become a true NBA player or not remains unknown. Regardless, the Knicks have solid forwards on the roster as is. Unless he exceeds all expectations and takes a monumental step forward, Toppin will probably see minimal playing time with the Knicks. Although, it is noteworthy that Thibodeau seems to be a fan of his.<\/p>\n<h3>The Knicks Have Had a Busy Offseason So Far<\/h3>\n<p>This summer has been an interesting one for the Knicks. Near the beginning of the offseason, the Knicks acquired wing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bridgmi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikal Bridges<\/a> from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/27\/fantasy-basketball-impacts-mikal-bridges-knicks-trade\/\" target=\"_self\">Brooklyn Nets in a trade<\/a>. Additionally, they signed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/payneca01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cameron Payne<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okekech01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chuma Okeke<\/a> this summer. Furthermore, they re-signed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brunsja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Brunson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/anunoog01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OG Anunoby<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/achiupr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Precious Achiuwa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On the flip side, they lost <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harteis01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/13\/thunder-rotation-battles-3-players-competing-for-the-final-starting-spot\/\" target=\"_self\">Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/burksal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-14_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alec Burks<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/13\/1-question-for-each-miami-heat-rookie\/\" target=\"_self\">Miami Heat<\/a>. However, while these losses could sting for the Knicks, it is fair to say they improved this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Last season, the Knicks entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. After defeating the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/14\/one-question-for-each-philadelphia-76ers-rookie\/\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> in the first round, the Knicks lost to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/12\/pacers-tyrese-haliburton-sustains-undisclosed-injury\/\" target=\"_self\">Indiana Pacers<\/a> in seven games in the second round. With a new-look roster, the Knicks are primed to make a deeper playoff run next season and potentially find themselves in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earlier this summer, the New York Knicks signed rookies Ariel Hukporti and Kevin McCullar to a pair of two-way contracts. Every team is given three two-way contract spots, meaning the Knicks had to be strategic with their final spot ahead of the 2024-25 season. According to an official statement they put out on social media, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4631,"featured_media":82297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,2,62,12,3],"tags":[165,380,4265,993,4973,1417,49414,1484,2617,1082,3148],"class_list":["post-90509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-featured","category-nba","category-knicks","category-news","tag-alec-burks","tag-cameron-payne","tag-chuma-okeke","tag-isaiah-hartenstein","tag-jacob-toppin","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-kevin-mccullar","tag-mikal-bridges","tag-obi-toppin","tag-og-anunoby","tag-precious-achiuwa"],"modified_by":"Elie Deglaoui","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4631"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}