The kid from Brooklyn finally gets to see his star shine on Broadway.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo signing a super-max deal with the Bucks on Tuesday — which rules him out as a future Knick — Leon Rose’s club may have to grow its own star.
And maybe it will be Toppin, the eighth pick in last month’s draft who makes his Garden debut Wednesday against the Cavaliers in the Knicks’ preseason home opener.
Yes, it’s without fans, but all eyeballs will be on the 6-foot-9 scoring forward who became a dunk machine at Dayton.
“It’s going to be amazing,’’ Toppin said on a Zoom call Tuesday. “I’m from here. I’ve been watching the Knicks all my life. My family’s been a fan of the Knicks since I wasn’t even born. Me having an opportunity to step on the court with these guys and compete against another team is going to be amazing. I can’t wait for that time to come.’’
By Toppin’s estimate, he attended five games at the Garden as a kid, but his grandfather had season tickets.
“He went to every game,’’ Toppin said. “You go to dinner with him and he’ll tell you a thousand stories of him going there.’’
The Knicks were hopeful — but not very confident — Toppin would fall to No. 8 in last month’s draft. Almost all mock drafts had Toppin going to the Cavaliers at No. 5, keeping his career in Ohio.
Now Toppin faces Cleveland, which took Auburn defensive wizard Isaac Okoro, who has exceeded expectations with his early shotmaking. Okoro averaged 16.5 points in his first two games and hit the game-winner in his debut Saturday. Okoro may even defend Toppin on Wednesday.
“We loved Obi,’’ Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday. “It was one of the best lunches and conversations I’ve had with a draft prospect in a long time. His personality, the way he goes about his business. There were questions we asked him in the interview and it was always about the team first. It was never about him — as good as he was at Dayton. He never cared about that.
“He cared about his team and teammates. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward. He’s got a skill set that you’re seeing early and we’ve seen. He was a tremendous kid.’’
Toppin is thankful the Cavs passed on him so he can be with his hometown team.
“I’m excited to play against anybody,’’ Toppin said. “It’s a blessing I’m in this position to be able to play against any NBA team.’’
Indeed, Toppin didn’t even have a Division I scholarship offer after graduating from Ossining High in Westchester County. His NBA debut went marvelously in an active, 11-point outing Friday in Detroit off the bench.
However, the Pistons made adjustments and made things harder for Toppin in Sunday’s rematch. Toppin was just 1-of-9, made a few rushed passes and shot just 1 of 6 from the 3-point line — two of his attempts were from 30 feet.
“I feel comfortable shooting the 3 not super-far, not Steph Curry range, but I feel very comfortable shooting the 3,’’ Toppin said.
Coach Tom Thibodeau feels Toppin already learned a valuable lesson from the two games in Motown.
“Probably the biggest thing about being a pro is that there’s going to be ups and downs,’’ Thibodeau said. “It was probably a little easier the first game. The second game he got more attention on him. He can play well without shooting well. Again, he can score a number of different ways. He’s a terrific kid, a great worker. Each game, you may not win and if you don’t win, obviously that’s what you’re trying to do, I want you to learn. He took a hard look at himself, what he can do better. He came in, he studied, he worked hard and he had a great practice [Tuesday].’’
Toppin has to learn how to read the different defenses teams throw at him now that he’s a focal point as a 22-year-old rookie.
“Those two games I was getting a feel for what it’s like against NBA guys for the first time,’’ Toppin said. “I hadn’t played in a real NBA game. I’ve played against NBA guys, but being on the court, you see a lot of different things and feel a lot of different things. The pace of the game. You know you have to run because there’s someone else that can beat you to the other side of the court. Just need to know what things will help the team win offensively and defensively. I’m going to get better at it.’’
