Nikola Topic, the projected top-10 NBA draft pick, has a partially torn ACL, his agent, Misko Raznatovic, confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.
Topic is currently at the NBA draft in Treviso, Italy, where he underwent the NBA’s medical exam, which included imaging.
Topic injured his left knee in January shortly after his mid-season transfer from Mega MIS to Red Star Belgrade, missing four months of action in the Adriatic League. He returned in late April, playing three games before re-injuring the same knee in the first game of the Adriatic League playoff finals.
The subject will travel to the United States in the coming days and will be evaluated by NBA team doctors who will decide the next course of action regarding surgery and a plan for the future.
Raznatovic told ESPN he doesn’t expect the injury to have a major impact on Topic’s stock because of his youth and early feedback from U.S. doctors who have examined his MRIs.
“The doctors who checked the stability of the knee confirmed that it was in excellent shape,” Raznatovic told ESPN.
The subject’s medical examination will now be distributed among the teams selected in the top 15 of the draft, in accordance with the new rules implemented in the NBA collective bargaining agreement signed in 2023.
Prior to his injury, Topic was ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft due to his combination of 6-foot-7 size, playmaking ability, and feel for the game, as well as the fact that he He’s the youngest player expected to be drafted in the first round, giving him a high ceiling as an NBA point guard.
Subject averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 assists while shooting 65% from 2-point range, 29% from 3-point range and 85% from the free throw line at Mega MIS.
The NBA Draft will take place over two days in New York, June 26-27. The first round will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, followed by the second round the next day at the ESPN studio in Lower Manhattan.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analysis service used by the NBA, NCAA and international teams.
