Knicks Mailbag: Can Julius Randle, Obi Toppin share floor more in 2022?

SNY's Ian Begley will be responding to and breaking down answers to Knicks questions from readers. Here's the latest...

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@FucciMane: Do you think Randle is slimming down this summer to play at the 3 and then Obi will start at the 4?

Thanks for the question, Fucci! I don’t know how Tom Thibodeau feels about playing Julius Randle and Obi Toppin in the same lineup. But I know that there is some interest internally in seeing more of Randle and Toppin on the floor together this season.

That said, I haven’t heard anything specifically about Randle at small forward and Toppin at power forward.

If you see Randle and Toppin on the floor this season, it’s most likely to be at power forward and center.

Toppin and Randle were on the court together for 101 minutes last season; New York outscored opponents by eight points in that span, per NBA.com.

Taking that into account, it’s hard to see how that pairing gets significant minutes together this season.

Here’s why:

The Knicks spent significant money on the center position this summer.

Mitchell Robinson is under contract for four years and $60 million; Isaiah Hartenstein is on a two-year, $18.1 million deal, and Jericho Sims’ contract has been converted from a two-way deal to a standard deal.

If you play Toppin and Randle at power forward and center, you’re keeping Robinson, Hartenstein or Sims on the bench (or out of the rotation).

So I’d be surprised if you see the alignment that you asked about, Fucci.

Also, if you move Randle or Toppin to small forward, you are taking minutes away from one of RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes or Cam Reddish. I don’t know how Thibodeau feels about that, but I’d be surprised if the Knicks committed to that alignment.

The big caveat here, of course, is a Donovan Mitchell trade.

If players like Grimes, Reddish or others are involved in a trade that brings Mitchell to New York, that changes the complexion of the roster. So maybe that opens up an opportunity for Toppin to play small forward?

We’ll see how things progress on the Mitchell trade and other fronts between now and the start of training camp.

*Full disclosure: @FucciMane, a man of many talents, has worked at SNY as a video producer and editor. We miss him here in New York. Based on his question, I don’t think Knicks will be consulting him on lineup decisions this season. Just kidding Fucci!