ALTAN GOCHER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
(Zvezda Star: Guard, International, 6-6)
Overall ranking: 3 / Previous ranking: 13 (+10) / Best ranking: 1 / Worst ranking: 15
Nikola Subject, injured in the knee since January 4, has skyrocketed in the league rankings over the past six months. Topic is now considered the best point guard available in the draft thanks to his size, playmaking ability and potential to make an immediate impact next season. For now, the biggest question regarding Topic’s game is his ability to shoot three-pointers.
“I love Topic’s brains and physique,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “I like his attitude and he has played at a high level overseas. I think it’s pulling 50’s at the edge. One part of his game that he will need to develop is his outside shooting. If you want to be a point guard in the NBA, you have to be able to come off highball screens and knock down shots. You have to be able to pull the defense away from the rim to be able to get to those drives and in the looks pass to the shooters around you.
As the executive mentioned, Topic’s three-point shooting could use the job at 28.2 percent this season. The encouraging sign is that he is an excellent foul shooter at 87.8 percent, which usually translates to long-term advantage as a shooter from beyond the arc.
In addition to Topic’s three-point shooting, some NBA talent evaluators question whether Topic has the length and lateral quickness to consistently stay in front of opposing NBA guards on defense.
“He feels smaller than 6-foot-7,” another NBA executive said. “I feel like since he doesn’t have great length, he’s more functionally like a 6-foot-4 guard, which is still good for that position. I think he’s a guy you can put in an NBA game today and be confident that he’ll be productive with the right guys around him. I don’t know if he’ll be an elite player, but I think he can play at a high level right now in his first year.
Part of Topic’s feel for the game that could make him an immediate contributor next season comes from his father, Subject Milenkowho was part of the Yugoslav national team that won the silver medal at the 1996 Olympics and served as an assistant coach overseas with a brief stint as interim head coach of Red Star.
