Knicks' Obi Toppin to Be Re-Evaluated in 2-3 Weeks After Scans on Leg Injury

The New York Knicks are building some momentum with back-to-back wins this week, but they will be without a rotation player for the foreseeable future.

According to the team, forward Obi Toppin will miss the next 2-3 weeks after imaging revealed a non-displaced fracture in his right fibula on Thursday.

Toppin has come off the bench while appearing in all 25 games this season and is averaging 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game. The 6'9" forward has shown improvement in his three-point shooting, connecting on 35.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. However, his efficiency has dropped dramatically as his field-goal percentage of 42.1 is down from 53.1 percent in 2021-22.

The eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft, the Dayton product has yet to demonstrate the ability to produce consistently for the Knicks. He's scored in double figures just seven times this season, which is the same as his number of games with at least 20 minutes. In his career, he's averaging just 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 159 games.

While the Brooklyn native isn't much of a contributor, his absence will be a blow to New York's depth. Veteran point guard Derrick Rose and forward Cam Reddish had already been removed from the rotation. Without Toppin available to spell star power forward Julius Randle, more minutes will be available in the frontcourt for Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims.

At 12-13, the Knicks are still in last place in the Atlantic Division and ninth in the Eastern Conference. But after holding back-to-back opponents to under 90 points, New York appears to have found a formula for success.

The Knicks will look to stay hot when they visit the Charlotte Hornets (7-18) on Friday.