Who is Isaiah Roby?

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        The New York Knicks are coming off their best season since the 2012-13 season. Going 47-35 in the regular season [5th seed in the Eastern Conference] and making it past the first-round for the first time in a decade. While the Knicks did lose in the second-round against the Miami Heat in six games it was still a successful season and a trend in the right direction. During the off-season the Knicks made a surprising move by trading Forward Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers for two second-round picks. Toppin was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up a Knick fan so he was very emotional when the Knicks drafted him with the eighth overall pick back in 2020. In Toppin's first three years in the league and with the Knicks he has made the playoffs twice and won the Slam Dunk contest. However, where things seemed to get heated was during the second-round in this years' playoffs. After losing game 4 against the Miami Heat audio leaked of Obi shouting at Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau and he wasn't shouting nice words. While it was reported the two made up the following day the friction between a head coach and a player can sometimes last a while leaving the franchise to choose between the coach or the player. In this case the Knicks chose the coach. So they moved on from Toppin, sending him to Indiana, who is on the last year of his rookie deal. Toppin joins a young up-and-coming Pacers team who are looking to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. 





        The New York Knicks appear to be running it back with a couple new additions however they didn't sign anybody who would immediately take Obi Toppin's spot in the rotation as the backup Power Forward. As the way the roster is currently constructed, according to the ESPN depth chart, Isaiah Roby is looking to be the backup Power Forward behind All-Star Forward Julius Randle. Roby started this past season with the San Antonio Spurs but was later waived then signed with the Knicks on the last day of the 2022-23 regular season which meant he was ineligible to play in the playoffs. Before getting waived by the Spurs, Roby averaged 11 MPG, 4 PPG, 3 RPG and 1 APG while shooting 43% from the field and 30% from three-point range. Currently there is no other player that is listed as a Power Forward and on a standard contract so it is looking like the Knicks are betting on Roby. 




        Isaiah Roby appeared in all three of the Knicks' Las Vegas Summer League games and averaged 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. It may not be flashy stats but they are solid when you are looking to play some backup minutes. Isaiah Roby had his best season, in his young career, with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2021-22 season averaging 21 MPG, 10 PPG, 5 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG and 1 BPG. There is definitely some potential within Roby to have himself a solid season with the Knicks. Roby is on the final year of his current deal and it is non-guaranteed. The deadline for the Knicks to fully-guarantee his contract is January 10th. Definitely expect Roby to play with a chip on his shoulder as he heads into next season to prove he belongs. 






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