After hitting the jackpot of all jackpots with the alien Victor Wembanyama last June, Spurs’ proposed strategy should be simple: build around Wemby. At times, San Antonio has struggled to get the ball to the future star, which makes the potential addition of Nikola Topic optimal. Topic is a calm, high IQ player, capable of creating plans for himself but, more importantly, for others.
No player in the draft is as comfortable as a primary playmaker as Topic. The Serbian plays better in the midrange by making smart, difficult passes and knocking down his intermediates. Although he is an underwhelming athlete, Topic knows how to orient his body and control his pace to be an effective driver.
Adding Topic to the game plan opens up endless possibilities for Gregg Popovich’s offense, giving Pop a reliable ball handler to get the ball to Wemby. The subject struggles on defense; however, San Antonio would have several or more defenders around him.
The Detroit Pistons entered the season hoping to be competitive, but they suffered a 28-game skid, digging themselves into a hole. Fortunately for the Pistons, there have been flashes of success among the youth and they continue to contribute to the youth movement. Zaccharie Risacher has remained at the top of the rankings for some time now and the advantages are clear as day.
At 6’10, Risacher showed impressive shot creation skills while shooting at a high rate of speed. His good sense of the game, his ability to find advanced teammates and his finishing plays give the second selected French prospect potential as a connecting piece.
The fast, physical game of the NBA will be difficult for Risacher to overcome at first; however, we have seen him go through a similar process throughout the summer and now at various international forums. To unlock Cade Cunningham’s full potential, Detroit needs spacers on the floor who don’t need the ball, which makes Risacher a strong compliment.
