Nikola Topic, a 6’7″ guard on Serbia Projected as a top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, suffered an injury that could drop him down the draft boards.
The subject was diagnosed with a partial left ACL tear, his agent confirmed to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony at the NBA International Draft in Italy this week. Topic injured his knee in January and was out until April, rejoining his club team Red Star Belgrade, but reinjured his knee after three matches. He had imaging done in Italy to confirm the diagnosis.
The timetable for the return is unclear as it depends on the details of the injury, which we do not know. Topic is expected to fly to the United States and be evaluated by NBA doctors, who will determine if surgery is necessary and what the next steps should be.
For teams considering Topic in the top 10, that likely means he will miss at least part of the 2024-25 season, if not all of it.
This may not matter to teams that really like the Serbian as a great NBA guard. He showed a crafty dribbling game and ability to get into the paint, from there he is a gifted passer and can score. What made teams hesitate was his jump shot, or lack thereof. There are also questions about his defense at the next level.
