Oklahoma City Thunder select Serbian guard Nikola Theme with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He entered the draft as one of the top-ranked prospects overall and will now look to introduce his game to new fans.
Topic joined Crvena Zvezda’s youth system in 2020 and became the youngest player to score a point for the team in the Euroleague in 2022, when he was just 16 years old. He finished that competition with four points and five assists in 16 minutes.
The 2.08 m point guard made his debut the following season playing for OKK Beograd of the Serbian League. He averaged 17.8 points on 55.2% shooting, 5.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Last season, Topic started with Mega MIS before finishing with Red Star. He averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 assists on 65% 2-point shooting, 29% 3-point shooting and 85% free throw shooting at Mega MIS.
Topic suffered a knee injury in January, but returned in time for the playoffs. However, he re-injured his knee during the league finals and it was later revealed that he suffered a partially torn ACL.
Despite the news, many analysts remain confident in Topic, a top-10 prospect in the draft. He’s also one of the youngest players in the draft, giving him even more potential to become 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 He ranked the top 40 prospects in the NBA Draft. He highlighted the point guard’s shooting and playmaking abilities, with his injury appearing to be the biggest concern entering the league.
“Nikola Topic started the year strong as a balanced point guard who showed high-shooting potential with his 87.1 percent free-throw shooting,” Fletcher wrote. “However, an injury derailed his season just as he was reaching a higher level of competition. The 6-foot-2 guard fits the profile of a point guard with size that has become coveted throughout the NBA. He needs to take the next step as a scorer to reach his potential, but he could immediately help start the offense.”
“The market for Topic has also been a topic of conversation over the past month, with a partial ACL tear discovered after his second knee injury of the year raising concerns.”
