(KFOR) — In a relative surprise, the Oklahoma City Thunder used the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Nikola Topić, a 6’6″, 203-pound 18-year-old point guard from Serbia .
Topić is described by experts as an elite ball handler and passer with good ability to finish around the rim in the pick-and-roll. His listed weaknesses are as a three-point shooter and on the defensive side of the ball. These traits have led to comparisons to Josh Giddey, who the Thunder just traded a few days ago to acquire Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls.
Part of the reason Topić fell to the Thunder at 12 was due to an ACL injury he suffered in April. After the conclusion of the first round, Sam Presti said that the team did not expect Topić to play during the 2024-25 NBA season.
Topić helped Red Star win the 2023-24 Adriatic League title after averaging 15.1 points on 50.5% shooting, while posting 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 28, 4 minutes per match. At the end of last season, he was named the winner of the ABA League’s Top Prospect Award.
Topić was named MVP of the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championships after leading Serbia to the gold medal. He scored 24 points in the championship game and averaged 15.3 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in the tournament.
Although the Thunder only had the No. 12 pick heading into the night, OKC decided to move back into the first round. He reportedly dealt five second-round picks to the New York Knicks for pick No. 26, which they used to select Weber State forward Dillon Jones.
Listed at 6’6″ 237lbs, Jones is described as a slasher who fills the stat sheet. He averaged 20.8 points on 48.9% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals in 37.0 minutes per game during his senior season at Weber State. He finished fifth in school history in points, third in rebounds, second in assists and first in steals.
Jones led the Big Sky in scoring last season and was named a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
The 2024 NBA Draft ends Thursday evening with the second round. Oklahoma City currently has no picks left in the draft.
