With that in mind, then, it will be hard to find many players who did more to solidify their draft stock than Toppin. That means as of now, front offices across the league will have to rely only on the sample size that has been given to them thus far in order to make the most informed decision. It is also unclear if now other scouting events like the Draft Combine and even individual team workouts will soon suffer a similar fate. 12 overall on the most recent big board for Rookie Wire due to his lack of defensive prowess, circumstances surrounding the college basketball season likely complicate this decision from a scouting perspective.įor example, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament for the best seniors in college basketball has been canceled. The truth is that while Toppin ranked No. 9 pick in the NBA Draft, per, but one league executive called him a “top-5” pick. “I know many NBA scouts are high on him.” The 6-foot-9 Brooklyn native is projected as the No. Toppin, 22, played a critical role in that success and likely cemented his place near the top of the upcoming draft thanks to incredible highlight performances.Īccording to Adam Zagoria, though he will no longer have an opportunity to improve his draft stock in March Madness, that is exactly what the 6-foot-9 forward plans to do ( via Forbes):ĭayton’s Obi Toppin, who is among the leading contenders for national player of the year honors in college basketball, is expected to the enter the NBA Draft, sources said. While the remainder of the season has been canceled to slow the spread of COVID-19 and the coronavirus, the Flyers completed the season with 29 wins and just two losses – though they were undefeated in regulation. The forward is now considered the oddsmakers favorite to win Naismith National Player of the Year on betting sites including Bovada and OddShark. Dayton Flyers sophomore Obi Toppin had arguably the most impressive campaign of any college basketball player during the shortened season.īefore the year began, Toppin was largely projected as a mid-second round pick in the 2020 NBA draft.