Nabbed at twelfth overall, the jumbo Serbian playmaker brings elite vision and rim pressure to a loaded roster following a redshirt year defined by resilience and recovery.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have arguably the deepest and most talented roster in the NBA.
Even after offseason trades that sent away impactful regular rotation players in Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, OKC boasts both one of the league's strongest starting lineups and one of the league's strongest benches.
One less talked about aspect of Oklahoma City's roster is the underrated foursome of young lottery level talent that has yet to be unlocked. In this four part Roundtable series, we will take a closer look at each of those four Thunder prospects. First up, Nikola Topic.
Nikola Topic.
21 years old.
Point Guard.
6'6". 203 pounds. 6'5.5" wingspan.
Draft Pedigree: Before an unfortunate ACL tear, the jumbo sized Serbian point guard was considered a top 5 lock in the 2024 NBA Draft. A number of draft analysts ranked Topic at the very top. One forgotten storyline was that the San Antonio Spurs were possibly targeting the prodigious passer to be Victor Wembanyama's running mate. After the injury news, Oklahoma City was able to nab the talented Topic at #12 overall with the idea to give him the successful Chet Holmgren redshirt rookie season plan.
Biggest Strength: The standout trait that made Topic so appealing as a prospect was his playmaking. Unquestionably the most creative and greatest passer in his class, that talent was boosted in scouts' minds because it came in a towering, thick physique given his position. A close second is Topic's driving and finishing at the rim. While many fans and analysts immediately made the easy Josh Giddey comparisons, the big difference between the two big playmakers is Topic's quick first step and ability to use his strength and touch to score in the paint.
Biggest Question Mark: OKC is a team comprised of a plethora of 3&D players. Topic is probably not one of them. Some observers wonder if the Serbian will be able to stay in front of NBA scoring guards. On the other hand, Topic is a high basketball IQ who tends to use his size and smarts to play solid team defense. Other observers wonder if he will ever be able to shoot at an average clip from 3 point range. On the other hand, Topic shot 87.1% from the free throw line in Europe, had an entire first season with Chip Engelland to work on his shot and shot 40% (small sample size of 6-15) last year with the Thunder.
Potential Role in 2026-2027: Look, even if Topic were to never step foot on the floor next season, I'd consider his basketball career an inspiring success. He bounced back from an ACL injury that cost him a top 5 selection in the draft and his first season in the NBA. He discovered he was diagnosed with testicular cancer before his second season and battled back after three bouts of chemotherapy to make his NBA debut. That said, OKC will want to see what they have in Topic. He is still incredibly young and incredibly talented. Mark Daigneault will find him minutes. It may not be every night, but Thunder fans will see Topic on the court next year. And he will be one of the easiest players to root for anytime he plays.
