Jacob Toppin is averaging 11.4 points per game but shooting only 39 percent from the field. (UK Athletics Photo)
Was way too much expected from Jacob Toppin this season?
As soon as UK’s 2021-22 season ended, coach John Calipari predicted that Toppin would be a 2023 NBA draft first round pick.
He worked tirelessly in the offseason to add 10 pounds to help him finish inside in contact and also to improve his 3-point shot after taking only 10 — and making four — all of last season.
“I think I made great strides (in my shooting), but we’ve got to see what I can do in games. I believe I’ll be able to space the floor and make those 3’s,” Toppin said before UK played in the Bahamas in August.
Many Kentucky fans were actually happy when Keion Brooks transferred to Washington because that would open more playing time for Toppin, who has a 42.5-inch vertical jump
“He’s put time into getting stronger and making shots. He has special athletic gifts. He can block shots with his athleticism and length. I don’t know if we can realistically ask Jacob to be more aggressive defensively but we are going to ask it and demand it anyway,” Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua said before the season started.
He’s yet to show he has become a reliable 3-point shooter. He was 0-for-4 from long range in Sunday’s loss to Gonzaga and is only 2-for-12 from 3 in UK’s five games. He was 4-for-13 from 3 in UK’s 2020-21 season and was 13 of 53 his freshman season at Rhode Island before transferring to UK. That means he’s 19-for-78 from long range so far in his collegiate career.
“I put in the work. I’ve just got to shoot it confidently,” Toppin said after the game. “Obviously, if I just keep putting in the work, keep trusting the work and keep worrying about the right things, good things will happen.”
After UK’s previous game, he said he was going to concentrate on rebounding and defense while letting the offense come to him. Instead, he took 18 shots at Gonzaga and made just three of his first 12 before getting untracked and five of his last six to finish with 16 points.
He also had just three rebounds in 36 minutes. Freshman Chris Livingston played eight minutes and had two rebounds.
Toppin is averaging 11.4 points per game and shooting 39.7 percent overall from the field. He’s averaging seven rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
He’s also apparently trying to be more of a team leader. He didn’t mince words after the loss at Gonzaga and called out both teammates and himself.
“I don’t want to speak for any guys, but in some moments, guys can’t step up — me included,” he said.
I like that accepting responsibility for his own play while also letting teammates know they have to do more as well.
“I didn’t make shots in the first half at all. I didn’t rebound. I’ve got to be better. My teammates have got to be better,” Toppin said. “We’ve all got to be better.
‘So you can say whatever you want, but at the end of the day, we’re going to put this on ourselves, just to be better. The main thing is just fighting. Like I said, we didn’t have any fight. So we’ll figure it out.”
Kentucky fans can only hope he’s right.
6 Responses
If Toppin is going to try and be a shooter, he needs to be at the 3 spot. Oyenso is raw, but can help with rim protection and rebounding at the 4 position. Collins isn’t ready for major minutes and could back up Oyenso. If Toppin doesn’t become the shooter he wants to be, Livingston should get more PT at the 3. He is a willing rebounder and has shown decent shooting from the arc. Regardless of where Toppin plays, he needs to rebound more. Everyone assumes Oscar is going to get all of the boards, and trying to do so gets him in foul trouble. I have been watching other games and we are nowhere close to being ready to play teams like Creighton and Arizona. I saw where today’s game against N. Florida got moved to ESPN plus. When you lay an egg like we did against Gonzaga, it drops you down the TV totem pole. I just hope I am not having to listen to the games on the radio by the end of the season.
Our game didn’t get dropped down to ESPN+. It was listed as being on SEC+/ESPN+ from the time the schedule was released. So is our next game against Bellarmine next week, FYI.
Weird how these streaming games are becoming so prominent
Oh well, missing that game gave me a chance to see some good teams play. They all seemed to have one thing in common. A coach who would make adjustments throughout the game and players that listened to them.
i just don’t see Toppin being a 3-point threat consistently. Hope I am wrong
More of Calipari’s players first focus I guess. We already have 3 good shooters. We need more rebounding.