Jacob Toppin opens up on NBA feedback, decision to return to Kentucky

Jacob Toppin will be a rarity in the John Calipari era: a true senior. The hoppy forward is entering his third year at Kentucky after spending his freshman season at Rhode Island. An extremely low-ranked recruit out of high school, Toppin likely never dreamed of playing at a place like UK or having the chance to become an NBA Draft pick.

However, since entering college, he’s watched his older brother, Obi, ascend to National Player of the Year honors and become a top-10 pick. The younger bro started showing flashes of Obi’s athleticism as a freshman. Which caught the eye of John Calipari, who brought him over to Lexington, where he’s played a big bench role in both seasons with the Wildcats.

This summer, he got a taste of that NBA dream. Toppin put his name in the draft pool in order to workout with NBA teams and players to get a feel for where his game fits at the next level and how he needs to improve as a senior if he wants to hear his name called in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Following his announcement that he was coming back to Kentucky, Toppin met with media to explain how the process benefitted him and where he needs to improve going forward.

Here’s how he described his experience going through the draft:

Toppin’s comments

“Definitely a good process for me. Because not only did I get feedback from teams but I was able to work out with my brother and go at him. We were playing one-on-one and two-on-two with people we [had] played with in LA. It helped me a lot, just getting feedback from different guys and from organizations telling me what I need to work on was definitely big for me.”

He was also told what he needs to work on.

“They told me I need to get bigger, stronger. I need to get more consistent at shooting the ball. Those were the three main factors that they told me about.”

The younger Toppin has always been on the skinnier side, while his brother grew into a larger frame at a younger age. Obviously, he also needs to work on his jumper. He’s shooting 34.7% from three since joining the ‘Cats. But only on 23 total attempts. And he makes well over 70% of his foul shots. A sign of more shooting potential from deep, NBA scouts will tell you.

With all that feedback, Toppin knew he still needed another year in blue before bolting for the big leagues.

“The plan for me was definitely to come back because I knew I wasn’t ready. I’m a person who’s going to go at my own pace. I’m not going to force anything and I believe that feedback, that opportunity helped me a lot.”