European players are thriving in the NBA, and Nikola Subject hopes to continue the trend as NBA Draft Outlookt. He is a Serbian-born guard who projects as a promising high-level point guard.
Nikola 2024 Preliminary Subject Profile
Carrier start
Nikola Topic has played the majority of his basketball this year in the Serbian ABA Liga. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds during his time with KK Mega Basket. These numbers were very impressive for someone playing in the same league that brought the NBA Nikola Jokic. Even so, Topic increased his competition by choosing to join KK Crvena Zvezda of the Euroleague midway through the season. Topic was aware that this decision could limit his production, but he wanted to play against the best players close to him.
Unfortunately, Topic was only able to play two games in the Euroleague before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Strengths
Topic’s main strengths as an NBA draft prospect are his playmaking ability combined with position size. Topic is a traditional point guard standing at six-foot-six with a seven-foot wingspan. He showed elite passing IQ and pick-and-roll prowess during his youth. international professional. Topic was very crafty running the show and showed the ability to make advanced passes from a variety of plays.
Another strength of Topic was his ability to provide consistent pressure at the rim. Although he is not the most gifted vertical athlete, he has a very quick first step and a nifty ability to handle the ball. He’s been able to move down the Adriatic league almost at will in most games, and he combines that ability with above-average finishing skills for his age. Finally, Topic also uses the aforementioned skills to be very effective during the transition. He is able to succeed in a fast-paced attack or in the half-court thanks to his pick-and-roll ability.
Weaknesses
Topic’s signature weakness is more of a question mark, and it concerns his shooting. He shot about 25 to 30 percent on three players playing for multiple teams overseas. Those are significantly below average numbers, and its shape isn’t the smoothest version you’ve seen. This weakness also contributes to another concern of NBA teams wondering how effective Topic can be without the ball in his hands. If his shooting is limited and his value is tied to the play, he won’t be able to be effective as an off-ball player.
Additionally, questions arise regarding Topic’s lack of flash at the NBA level and his vertical athleticism that could limit his potential. There is reason to believe that his guile and positive stance can make up for it, however. Finally, it is also worth mentioning that Topic’s medical exams will need to be checked as a possible weakness. The knee injury he suffered is not considered critical, but has sidelined him for an extended period of time.
NBA Comparison
Similar to Josh Giddey Entering the 2021 draft, Topic gets that pro comparison as a big, gifted passer and pick-and-roll playmaker. Also similar to Giddey, there are questions about Topic’s exterior plan and the quality of its translation. Giddey hasn’t quite mastered his perimeter shooting yet, so teams are hoping Topic shows better progression. Either way, Topic can be the giant-sized senior guard that becomes a trend in the NBA.
Projecting the 2024 NBA Draft
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