Nikola Topić, a top-five prospect in the 2024 NBA draft, has been diagnosed with a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee after suffering the injury in late May during the Adriatic League playoffs, his agent said. ESPN. Topić was injured on 27 May against Partizan, following a worsening of a previous left knee injury suffered earlier this year. The timetable for his recovery is not yet known.
Topić’s injury was confirmed this week at the NBA international combine in Treviso, Italy, where he underwent imaging that revealed the extent of the tear. His agent told ESPN that his client’s draft value is not expected to be significantly affected, though ACL tears typically require surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process, which could impact how teams view him in the draft later this month.
In a draft class that was widely viewed as lacking star power at the top, Topić, Ranked No. 5 on CBS Sports Big Boardis one of the few players in this cycle who shows huge long-term potential. He had a breakout season with Mega MIS in Serbia, averaging 18.6 points and 6.9 assists per game while establishing himself as one of the class’s most prominent point guards.
The new CBA rules stipulate that teams that select in the first half of the first round of the 2024 NBA draft will receive Topić’s medical exams under the new agreement signed last year. Topić’s participation in the Combine — which required imaging exams and interviews — is also a first, spurred by the new CBA after top prospects in recent years opted not to participate or did so only in limited capacity.
Teams picking early in the draft have a few weeks to do their own research and determine how much, if any, his value might be affected by his impending knee recovery before the draft begins on June 26. For now, the immediate reaction from NBA scouts suggests skepticism that his value won’t be affected.
Project spin-offs
While the initial report expressed optimism that the injury would not have a major impact on Topić’s draft value, scouts are already expressing some skepticism behind the scenes.
At the heart of the issue is the difference between a partial tear and a complete tear. For those of us who don’t need to perform like a professional athlete, a partial tear can often heal on its own. For NBA players, such an injury often requires surgery to return to peak performance.
Danilo Gallinari is a textbook case that serves as a warning. He suffered a knee injury in April 2013 that required two separate surgeries and cost him the entire 2013-14 season, after initially choosing to let his partially torn ACL heal.
While we don’t yet know how similar Topić’s injury is to Gallinari’s, we do know that he has had knee issues in the past. If he does indeed have to undergo surgery, it’s possible he could miss the entire 2024-25 season.
In other words, the possibility of signing Topić now seems much more unclear for any team looking for an immediate return on that investment. For teams with deep draft capital like Oklahoma City, San Antonio, New York or Utah, such a delay may not be as relevant. For teams with tighter schedules, this news could prove too much of a deterrent.
