It is no secret that the San Antonio Spurs need a point guard, and it’s no secret that they’re bad enough this season to land another top pick next time around. NBA Draft.
The Spurs seem committed to the Jeremy Sochan experience as a point guard, but it did not result in victories. The best-case scenario is pretty simple: next year, the Spurs will have a real starting point guard, and Sochan feels more comfortable with the ball in his hands.
Head and shoulders above all others so far in the 2024 point guard class are Isaiah Necklace from USC and Nikola Topić of Mega Basket in Serbia. Nikola Jokic also played for this club.
USC’s Isaiah Collier is also listed as one of the top guards in the 2024 NBA Draft.
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Some claim that Topić is the ideal partner to complete Victor Wembanyama move forward. Honestly, the 7-4 phenom could probably run the pick-and-roll with any experienced point guard, but I digress.
In 10 games so far this season, Topić is averaging 18.9 points, 6.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds. He has 1.1 steals but is shooting just 26 percent from three. That being said, he gets to the rim quite well and acts more like a floor general than a scorer.
Topić’s strengths are easily evident: he has a 6-6 record and is one of the best players in the Adriatic League at 18 years old. He is strong enough to absorb contact in the paint and finish physically and can make the free throws he wins. Her the vision is undeniably elitistbut he is far from the perfect prospect.
Topić isn’t a terrible three-point shooter, but there are questions about whether or not he can improve his shooting at the NBA level. He is physically gifted with a seven-foot wingspan, but his lateral quickness has been difficult to project against his Adriatic League competition. If his defense can translate to the NBA, more power to him, but if it doesn’t, then the Spurs will be left with an oversized point guard with solid vision and an ability to get to the rim, but with a Flimsy jump shot. .
As one of the youngest players in the upcoming draft, the comparisons to Josh Primo write themselves. Off-the-field issues aside, it was pretty clear by the time he was lifted that Primo was not a franchise savior, despite the optimism surrounding him.
Topić’s offensive court is comparable to Killian Hayes’, which is never a good thing. Sure, Hayes never had any talent around him (sorry, Detroit fans), but he’s not a scorer and is easily left open behind the arc.
As Topić climbs the rankings, the Spurs would be much better off drafting Collier from the Trojans if they had the chance, as he is a much more well-rounded prospect heading into the draft, with better physical tools.
