Toppin admits coming back was always the plan, but appreciates NBA feedback and experiences

Jacob Toppin is back at the University of Kentucky this summer to prepare for his senior season of college basketball. The athletic forward stepped away for seven weeks to go through the pre-NBA Draft process but announced his comeback a day ahead of the deadline to return to school.

The comeback was in the plan from the beginning.

Speaking in his first public comments since the return, Toppin explained, “The plan for me was definitely to come back because I knew I wasn’t ready. I’m a person who was gonna go at my own pace. I’m not going to force anything.”

Looking back on that month-and-a-half as an NBA draft prospect, Toppin is grateful for the experiences and the feedback he received from NBA players and personnel, and he took those critiques to heart.

“It was 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 (Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks),” Toppin said Thursday in Lexington. “We were playing one-on-one, two-on-two with people that we were playing with in L.A., and it helped me a lot just getting feedback from different guys and from organizations telling me what I need to work on. It was definitely big for me this offseason.”

New NBA rookies Jaden Ivey and AJ Griffin were among the draft prospects Toppin competed against, and though he didn’t play directly against NBA veteran Paul George, Toppin and George were at the same workout and George offered the NBA hopeful some positive guidance.

Overall, Toppin thinks he held his own at the pre-draft workouts. “They definitely got me better, but also I got them better so it was a good experience,” he said.

Going into a little more detail, Toppin revealed some of the critiques the NBA had of his game.

“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.”

He has added five to ten pounds of good weight since the season ended and is on a stricter diet to further improve his body.

Creating his own path beyond Obi’s shadow

Jacob Toppin can’t play a minute of a college basketball game without the broadcast team mentioning his older brother, Obi Toppin. The sibling connection to the 2020 National Player of the Year is often a talking point in press conferences too, and on Wednesday, the younger brother took more questions about big bro.

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After all, Jacob and Obi share the family athleticism and they’re on similar basketball paths, only a few years apart. Seeing Obi’s success has motivated Jacob, but Jacob wants his own basketball success story, not a supporting role in another.

“It motivates me a lot because, to see what he’s done and to see what I’m doing, we’re kind of on the same trajectory. But at the end of the day, everyone has their own path. I will follow my path and he will follow his and hopefully, we get to the same spot.”

WATCH: Toppin’s comments on NBA experiences and coming back to school