Jacob Toppin doesn't need to play like his older brother to help Kentucky succeed

Jacob Toppin isn’t going to escape the fame of being known as “Obi Toppin’s younger brother”, but more performances like he had against Kansas will earn him plenty of his own fame here in Lexington.

The sophomore transfer from Rhode Island didn’t anticipate playing this season until his immediate eligibility waiver came in a month before the season began. At 6-foot-9 with springboards for feet, there was no reason not to include Toppin among the rest of the 2020-21 active roster. His raw athleticism makes him a work in progress, but going through that process now will pay off down the road. It took Obi Toppin three years at Dayton before he morphed into the No. 8 overall pick taken by the New York Knicks in the 2020 NBA Draft. If it takes that long for Jacob to reach a similar potential, it will be well worth the wait. But until then, the younger Toppin brother just wants to win.

“At this point, I’m just trying to do anything to help my team succeed and win,” Toppin said during Friday’s pre-Georgia Tech press conference. “Whether that’s hustle plays, whether that’s scoring, whether that’s rebounding, I’m just there to help my team win.”

He isn’t one of the star-studded five-star prospects or heralded transfers, as most of his teammates are. Toppin managed to contribute right away as a freshman at Rhode Island, but playing for Kentucky in the SEC is an entirely different ballgame. However, you wouldn’t have known after watching him impress against a top 10 team.

Toppin recorded six points and three rebounds in 12 minutes during Kentucky’s 65-62 loss to Kansas on Tuesday. He shot 2-4 from the floor, which included an and-1 opportunity midway through the second half. The spark he provided over the course of a five-minute span helped push the ‘Cats to a lead down the stretch. Toppin was fighting for loose balls, crashing the glass, and being aggressive when he had the ball around the basket. He converted on a fastbreak layup a minute after his first score, then drew a foul attacking the rim another 60 seconds after that, making both free throws.

He didn’t do too much, but more importantly, he didn’t do too little.

“Made plays. Ran. Played with great energy,” Head coach John Calipari said on Friday about Jacob Toppin. “When you bring a guy off the bench, he’s got to lift your team, not take your team back. If you’re playing for yourself and you’re not thinking in those terms, you’ll come in and try to just get yours. You can’t play that way coming off the bench.”

As Calipari said, younger players have a habit of “getting theirs”. Thus far, that hasn’t been the case with Toppin. Oddly enough, the sophomore forward is one of the most experienced players in a Kentucky uniform. Toppin hadn’t been in this exact situation before, but he knew how to handle the in-game pressure compared to his rookie teammates.

“We are young. We have a lot of learning to do, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Toppin said. “Every day in practice we’re learning, we’re getting better. I don’t think we’re dwelling too much on these losses because, again, it’s only the third game of the season. We’re just preparing for the next one.

“I can say I was a little more comfortable than maybe the younger guys. I just wanted to step up for my teammates. I wanted to do anything to help my teammates get that W. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it, but we’re just worried about the next game, and whatever they need me to do the next game, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Toppin’s role going forward likely won’t include playing 20-plus minutes–something he understands–but that’s not what Kentucky needs from him this year. Effort and explosiveness will be his keys to more clock. Jacob doesn’t need to play like his older brother, he just needs to play his game.