NBA Draft: Possible that Cavs take Dayton star Obi Toppin with fifth pick

Obadiah Richard Toppin didn't have a college basketball scholarship coming out of Ossining High in New York, so he spent a season playing for Mt. Zion Preparatory School before Dayton came calling. After two remarkable seasons with the Flyers — he was Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year as a redshirt freshman and national player of the year as a sophomore — the young man who goes by Obi Toppin is expected to be a lottery pick in the Nov. 18 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Toppin, who will turn 23 March 4, will be among the oldest players taken in the first round, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could be taken by the Cavaliers with the No. 5 selection. Rebuilding Cleveland is in a state of flux at center and power forward. Andre Drummond will be in the final year of his contract in 2020-21 and could be traded at any moment, Tristan Thompson is an unrestricted free agent and may take a pay cut to play for a contender and Kevin Love trade rumors are never far away. Toppin, an intense competitor with a deceivingly versatile offensive game, will likely be a power forward in today's wide-open NBA game, but in an era of largely position-less basketball, it's not out of the question he could see some time at center. "I feel like I'm position-less," he said last month at the virtual NBA Combine. "I don't feel like I'm set at one position. ... I can spread the floor a little bit, I can be a stretch-four, I can play the three a little bit." Toppin's skill set has drawn comparisons to Amar'e Stoudemire and Kevin Garnett, but he's been spending a lot of time analyzing the play of Lakers big man Anthony Davis. "I'm working out, putting the ball on the floor a lot more," he said. "I'm looking at Anthony Davis and I'm like, 'I can be that type of player.' He's definitely a roll threat in pick and rolls, he can pick and pop, he can iso(late) by himself, he can put the ball on the floor. I felt like watching him, it kind of resembles my game now." Because of his age and physical maturity, Toppin is considered to be one of the more NBA-ready players in the draft. He averaged 20.0 points and 7..5 rebounds while shooting .633 from the field, .390 on 3-pointers and .702 at the line as a Dayton sophomore. There's not much question around the NBA that Toppin will enjoy a lengthy pro career. The debate begins when it comes to upside. Some scouts feel Toppin will be a valuable role player off the bench, others think he could become a starter and some even think he'll develop into an All-Star type player. Toppin's ability to play above the rim is unmistakable. He led the NCAA in dunks last season and has great bounce when it comes to jumping multiple times in succession. The 22-year-old will have to improve his foot quickness on the defensive end, where he will be asked to switch and guard opposing players above the 3-point line. He also will have to prove he can rebound consistently at the NBA level and develop some reliable offensive moves in the low post. Toppin is confident he can do all that, pointing out Davis wasn't a polished offensive player when he entered the NBA. "I've seen the full picture — putting the ball on the floor, being able to shoot, back to the basket, different things like that, that Anthony Davis does that I feel like I can do," he said. Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.