Top 10 Draft Picks Nikola Theme He has a partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament, his second injury of the year. He will soon travel to the United States to see a doctor.
Predicted lottery pick suffers ACL injury
Nikola Theme Topic is an electric playmaker who is generating discussion among draft analysts. Following this news, he will travel to the United States, where he will consult with a doctor and decide if the injury will require surgery. If he undergoes surgery, Topic could potentially miss the entire 2024/25 season. Topic is expected to be a lottery pick, with some mock drafts having him as high as second before news of his injury broke.
Topic first suffered a knee injury in January that forced him off the court for four months. He re-aggravated the injury in late April during the Adriatic League playoff final. Topic’s agent, Misko Raznatovic, confirmed that he was at the NBA Draft Combine in Italy. Topic spoke with the Spurs“team doctor during the Combine.
“The doctors who checked the stability of the knee confirmed that it was in excellent condition,” Raznatovic said. said ESPN. Raznatovic expressed optimism that his draft value would remain high despite the injury.
The Serbian point guard quickly slipped out of the top five of several mock drafts after his injury. Concerns that his injury would become a weakness, along with unimpressive measurements, have him in the 8-15 range. Teams with a top-15 pick will have access to Topic’s medical diagnostics.
Topic’s injury will impact draft order
His injury is certainly concerning. There were a lot of questions and concerns about Topic’s health heading into the Combine due to the length of his absence. In his first game back on the field, he was noticeably less aggressive and lacked the explosiveness that scouts admired. Injuring the very knee he played so cautiously on could hurt his chances of a long career in the league, as well as take away some of his positive attributes.
“I’m not 100 percent healed. I haven’t started running or working out with the basketball yet,” Topic told reporters at the Combine. “I’m focused on rehabbing, my body and my knee.”
Topic’s 6’2″ frame as a big guard, his vision and overall feel for the game are the most exciting parts of his game. He’s shown the ability to shoot the jumper, and his elite free throw shooting makes his below-average 29% three-point shooting bearable. With his draft spot slipping due to injury, Topic falls in the range of San Antonio at No. 8, Utah at No. 10, or even Philadelphia at No. 16.
“Topić recently suffered two knee sprains, which has caused him to miss most of the 2024 calendar year so far. His scope is wider than expected at the moment, with a chance he could slip even lower than that in the rankings,” The Athletic’s project columnist Sam Vecenie wrote.
“Topic is participating in the June 4-7 pre-draft camp in Treviso, Italy, for prospects exempted from the now-mandatory NBA Draft Combine because their overseas seasons were not completed.. The medical report teams receive from that context will be key in determining Topić’s ultimate scope. Teams are also trying to figure out how to base a lottery grade on him from a 13-game sample size.
With Topic dropping, some prospects could move up. Ron Holland could move up a few spots – his energetic play, defensive intensity, youth and shooting form will be appreciated by many franchises. The same goes for French prospect Tidjane Salaun. Salaun is a wing with an exciting frame, measuring 6’2” with a 7’4” wingspan. While his drive, confidence and athleticism are intriguing, he is clearly a raw prospect with horrible basketball instincts.
