Obi Toppin Says Warriors 'Liked Me a Lot' in Interview Ahead of 2020 NBA Draft

Former Dayton star Obi Toppin had an encouraging interview with the Golden State Warriors prior to the 2020 NBA draft on Nov. 18. 

Toppin told reporters Wednesday he met virtually with Warriors officials and felt "they liked me a lot."

He also said he has had virtual workouts for the New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

This year's draft class lacks standout talent, so it will be tough for the Warriors to do anything too shocking with the No. 2 overall pick. Selecting Toppin would qualify as a surprise, though.

In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Golden State to take former Memphis center James Wiseman. The Athletic's John Hollinger and ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz and Kevin Pelton also had Wiseman landing in the Bay Area.

Toppin averaged 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season for the Flyers. He also shot 63.3 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from beyond the arc.

At 22, he's a little older for an incoming rookie, though, and Wasserman wrote his "potential to be a liability on defense" is a clear issue while ranking him the fifth-best player available.

Independent of those concerns, Toppin doesn't seem like a great fit for the Warriors, who already have Draymond Green and Eric Paschall to play the 4. Perhaps Toppin could move to small forward, but he'd still have Andrew Wiggins ahead of him in the depth chart.

Wiseman emerging as the favorite for Golden State makes sense because the team lacks a traditional center.

The Warriors are probably just covering all of their bases, and the front office might be happy to spread the perception it likes Toppin if it generates more trade interest in the No. 2 pick.