This weekend, the Oklahoma City Thunder assigned rookie guard Nikola Topic to the NBA G League, intensifying his return-to-play protocol with the OKC Blue where he played in a back-to-back set against the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The OKC Thunder saw The subject dominates his two G League games, in both outings, with 29 points, 11 assists, three rebounds, one block and two steals. He also shot 10 of 17 from the floor, 4 of 9 from beyond the arc and did all of that in just 36 minutes of work.
After a day off on Wednesday, Topic will play his third game in four nights, this time making his NBA debut for the defending champions as they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday in the final game before the NBA All-Star Break.
This isn’t just great news for Topic, who battled his way back from a torn ACL, then a testicular cancer diagnosis, and is now making his long-awaited NBA debut under unique circumstances.
Oklahoma City has rightfully praised Topic for how he has handled this rehab process and how proud they are of his return and whatever he does tonight will be viewed in an extremely positive light. It’s an incredible story that should inspire everyone.
“Great accomplishment. I can’t say enough about him as a guy. His mental toughness, his maturity, his resilience. Thinking about where he’s been. He was out with an ACL last year. He hasn’t played a lot of basketball the last two years,” OKC Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Topic’s G League debut. “He comes out of a year-long rehab and immediately receives a very surprising diagnosis and undergoes three rounds of chemotherapy. For him to get back on the field is just an incredible accomplishment.”
While his role is unclear, tonight’s game against the Bucks sees the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat all of their creators with superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams, sixth man Ajay Mitchell and even big-time point guard Isaiah Hartenstein.
This gives Topic the chance, in his minutes, to really shine as a playmaker like he has his entire basketball life, including this week in the NBA G League.
Stay tuned Thunder on SI for complete coverage of Nikola Topic’s debut and this entire season for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
