Oklahoma City Thunder select Nikola Topic in 2024 NBA Draft

The Oklahoma City Thunder have selected Serbian guard Nikola Topic with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He entered the draft as one of the highest-ranked overall prospects and will now look to introduce new fans to his game.

Topic joined the Crvena Zvezda youth system in 2020 and was the youngest player to score a point for the team in EuroLeague play in 2022 when he was just 16 years old. He ended that contest with four points and five assists in 16 minutes.

The 6-foot-6 guard would make his breakout the following season while playing for OKK Beograd of the Serbian League. He averaged 17.8 points on 55.2% shooting from the field, 5.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.

This past season, Topic began the year with Mega MIS before finishing it with Crvena Zvezda. He averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 assists shooting 65% from 2-point range, 29% for 3-pointers and 85% from the free throw line at Mega MIS.

Topic suffered a knee injury in January but returned in time for the playoffs. However, he re-injured the knee during the league finals and it was later revealed that he had a partially torn ACL.

Despite the news, many analysts were still confident in Topic as one of the top 10 prospects in the entire draft. He’s also one of the youngest players in the draft, giving him an even higher ceiling to develop into a future star.

What NBA Draft analysts are saying about Nikola Topic

On3‘s James Fletcher provided some analysis on Topic’s game in his recent article ranking the top 40 NBA Draft prospects. He noted the shooting and playmaking ability of the guard, with his injury seemingly the biggest concern entering the league.

“Nikola Topic started the year strong as a balanced playmaker who showed upside as a shooter based on his 87.1% from the free throw line,” Fletcher wrote. “However, an injury derailed his season as he reached a higher level of competition. The 6-foot-6 guard fits the mold of a playmaker with size which has become coveted around the NBA. He must take the next step as a scorer to reach his potential, but could immediately help initiate offense.

“The market for Topic has also been a topic of conversation over the past month, with a partially torn ACL discovered after his second knee injury of the year drawing concern.”