CITY OF OKLAHOMA — Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Marc Daigneault was blown away by rookie Nikola Topic, who he said helped lead his team to a 105-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Subject finished with nine points and two assists while closing the door on the Nets in the final frame.
For Daigneault, Topic is one of the few pure leaders in the NBA, he explained, during his post-match press briefing, while the Thunder head coach was really impressed by Topic’s play in only his second match.
“Basketball doesn’t have a lot of true point guards anymore. There are some incredible skills, but traditional team runners, there aren’t a ton of them, and that’s what he is: He can run your team. He’s going to organize you on the court. He understands what we’re trying to accomplish even at this extremely early stage in his career, and he has the talent to match it.
“He’s got a long way to go. He’s got a lot to learn, even offensively, in terms of creating advantages, reading the different coverages he’ll see when the league learns it a little bit; it’ll be a new challenge for him. But he’s off to a good start.”
Mark Daigneault says Nikola Topić is one of the few “pure point guards” left in the NBA: “Basketball doesn’t have many true point guards anymore…
And that’s what he is: he can lead your team. He will organize you on the ground. He understands what we are trying… pic.twitter.com/tHcweGPdys
– Josué Pavon (@Joe_Sway) February 21, 2026
While reminding reporters that Topic is still in the early stages of his NBA career, following an impressive rookie debut following an ACL injury and a testicular cancer diagnosis, Daigneault put Friday’s performance into perspective.
“It’s his second game in the NBA. So to really evaluate it in context would be unfair,” Daigneault said. “But he’s obviously a really good player. He’s got a really good feel for the game. He gets in there and acts like he belongs. He shoots the three. He’s not afraid to drive.”
The subject went 4 of 6 from the ground, including 1 of 2 from deep. He also finished with three rebounds, all in 11 minutes coming off the bench.
Nikola Topic looks back on the Thunder’s “superb” victory
In just his second game, Thunder rookie Nikola Topic helped lead his team to victory, holding off the Nets in the final frame of a 19-point victory at Paycom Center. Jared McCain, his season record with 21 points coming off the bench led the Thunder in scoring. However, in just his second game, Topic addressed the media in his first post-match press conference of the season.
Topic took the time to thank Thunder fans for their warm embrace during his NBA debut last week.
“Awesome moment. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life – thanks to the fans,” Topic said. “Of course I will remember it for the rest of my life.”
Still getting back into the swing of things, Topic, who hadn’t played a basketball game in nearly two years, said it took him some time to get used to playing again.
“It was quite weird at first. I’m kind of getting the feeling of the game again,” Topic added. “I was away for a while. It was so weird coming back. I was finding myself doing things I’d never done before. It was kind of hard to adjust to that, but every game was better. The first game in the G League. The second game was better. The first game here was OK. The second game was better. But I think it’s only going to get better.”
The Thunder will host the Cavs on Sunday.
