Bruiser Flint on Jacob Toppin: "(He) will be the best defensive player in the SEC"

If there is one player on the Kentucky Men’s Basketball roster who appears to have taken an offseason leap, that man would be junior Jacob Toppin.

The always smiling, freak athlete shook off a minor shoulder injury and has started the 2021-22 campaign with the highest energy level of anyone on the team. Toppin first showcased his improved skillset during Kentucky’s second exhibition game against Miles College, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.

It didn’t take long for head coach John Calipari to publicly declare that Toppin had already earned his early-season minutes. Calipari even went as far as to say that Toppin would play decent minutes against Duke in front of a packed Madison Square Garden.

With his older brother Obi watching from the front row, Toppin was incredibly solid against the Blue Devils. He went for four points and six rebounds in 23 minutes, but most notably, he was the only Wildcat who could properly defend Duke superstar freshman Paolo Banchero.

Kentucky began the game with junior forward Keion Brooks Jr. defending Banchero; the former top-five recruit is expected to be a top-five pick in next year’s NBA Draft. As well-rounded as Brooks is on that end, he physically wasn’t up to par with the 6-foot-9 Banchero. The Duke star bullied Brook Jr. for open face-up jumpers and easy drives to the rim.

Defending Paolo Banchero

Banchero’s numbers against Kentucky defenders

Brooks Jr.: 14 points on 5-6 shooting; 4-4 from free-throw line; zero turnovers

Toppin: 7 points on 2-5 shooting; 3-3 from free-throw line; one turnover (charge)

Other: 1 point on 0-0 shooting; 1-2 from free-throw line

What it came down to was energy levels and the ability to move their feet. Toppin provides both of those at a higher rate than Brooks Jr. currently does. That doesn’t mean the latter is a bad defender; Banchero is going to average 20-plus points all season long. But it does show that Toppin might have more potential on that end than previously thought.

If you ask Kentucky assistant coach Bruiser Flint, he thinks Toppin can be the best defender in the entire Southeastern Conference.

“If we’re going to be a good defensive team, then everyone has to play their part. Not just for one guy,” Flint said on Thursday. “I think Jacob Toppin will be the best defensive player in the SEC, because I think he can play all five positions if he wants to do. Now he has to do some things, he has to want to. But defensively, just don’t do it because you’re playing Paolo (Banchero); you want to dig every night against whoever your opponent is.”

Digging in and consistently unleashing that high-octane drive will be tough over the course of an entire season, but if anyone on this team can do it, Toppin would be the best bet. That’s exactly what he did against a Divison II program in Miles College and then against a historic powerhouse in Duke. If Toppin brings that type of intensity every single game, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be an elite defender.

While it might be a stretch to envision dreams of him winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year (mostly due to his role as an off-the-bench piece), being able to put Toppin on the team’s best offensive option will be invaluable.

Most opponents aren’t going to have a Paolo Banchero lurking. The best defense from Toppin is still to come.

Brooks Jr. is still a better option on offense than Toppin is at this moment. That being said, it’ll be interesting to see how the staff decides to split those minutes with the emergence of Toppin’s defense.

Calipari always says that defense will earn a player minutes; Toppin will be earning a bulk of them if that holds true.