The New York Knicks did not make a selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. But New York did sign Jacob Toppin and Jaylen Martin to two-way contracts.
Amidst months of trying to figure out the New York Knicks’ strategy for the NBA draft, the orange and blue decided against trading to get back into the first or second round. After the draft, the Knicks made two announcements: University of Kentucky’s Jacob Toppin (younger brother of Obi Toppin) and Overtime Elite’s Jaylen Martin signed two-way contracts with New York.
Now, Knicks fans will be able to get a glimpse of Martin’s talents in NBA summer league. Unfortunately, Toppin will be unavailable due to an injury. Regardless, let’s review what Toppinand Martin might bring to the team.
Jaylen Martin – 19 yrs., Wing/Forward, Overtime Elite
Coming out of Florida State University High School, Jaylen Martin was nationally ranked as the 168th-best player out of the 2022 draft class. Martin was coached by former Knick, Charlie Ward, before decidingo turn pro with OTE. At 6’6″, 195 pounds, Martin has great size and length to fill the coveted position of a wing scorer. This past season, for the YNG Dreamerz, Martin averaged 14 points, shot 37.6 percent from the field, and hit 26.7 percent from three (he averaged 6 three-point attempts) per game. Martin also averaged 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Despite his poor shooting splits, Martin left talent evaluators with a good lasting impression by saving his best performances for the OTE playoffs — he shot 38 percent from three during the semi-finals. As a result, Martin was voted second in the Most Improved Player award for OTE.
Here is the thing: If Martin’s shot becomes more consistent, he could be a legitimate rotation player. As of now, Martin appears most comfortable attacking closeouts and using the euro-step to finish at the rim. What gives me pause stating that Martin is in fact a strong finisher around the rim is that OTE players who love driving to the hoop don’t experience a lot resistance. As I learned last year after watching Jean Montero, defense appears optional at times in Overtime Elite.
Defensively, Martin is active and provides sound pressure on the ball. He’s not a super athlete, but he can contest shots, and I like the aggression he shows when he’s locked into his defensive assignment.
With all of that said, Martin is exactly the type of playeryou take a flyer on with a two-way deal. Westchester Knicks head coach DeSagna Diop will be thrilled to add this young player to the Westchester Knicks.
Jacob Toppin – 23 yrs., Forward, Kentucky
The Knicks clearly do not care about nepotism allegations despite the numerous Kentucky and familial ties that have surfaced since Leon Rose took over as President of Basketball Operations. And good for them, they shouldn’t. I don’t believe, for one second, that the Knicks gave Jacob Toppin a two-deal to appease his brother Obi (who was on the team at the time). If Jacob wasn’t someone on Walt Perrin’s radar, he wouldn’t be here. It’s that simple.
The high-flying Toppin has steadily improved his game — showcasing skills that are not just the product of elite vertical athleticism. While standing at at six-foot-nine, weighing in at 205 pounds, the New York native capped off his senior year at Kentucky averaging 12.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. In addition, Toppin shot 46.3 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from three, and 66.4 percent from the free-throw line while playing 31.4 minutes a night, as a starter, for a John Calipari-coached team. I should also mention that Toppin averaged over six more points per game than he did during his junior year and dropped 20+ points on five occasions this past season.
Make no mistake, Toppin’s biggest strength is his vertical athleticism. Similar to his brother Obi, Jacob can take off and catch lobs from anywhere. But if you watched Jacob this past season, you saw an increased level of comfort on the floor with the ball in his hands. Specifically, Jacob’s mid-range pull-up game looked refined at different points of the season. Nevertheless, his overall shooting still has a long way to go, but Toppin is a worker who can carve out a niche as an energy guy during the early parts of his NBA career.
According to Box and One’s Adam Spinella, Toppin relies heavily on his athleticism to chase-down blocks on the defensive end, but he projects to be a decent weak-side defender on day one. Furthermore, Toppin’s footwork and defensive awareness have improved, and coaches will be impressed with his ability to cover ground against the pick-and-roll.
Overall, Martin and Toppin will most likely not make any significant contributions to the Knicks any time soon. However, both players possess skillsets and raw talent, and with time, may surprise one or two fans who were down on the Knicks’ lack of activity during the draft.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out CP and Alex discussing Obi Toppin being traded to the Indiana Pacers and Donte DiVincenzo coming to the Knicks.
