It is January 6, but it is never too early for the 2024 draft. One of the players who have made their way up some of NBA draftniks boards is Serbian Nikola Topic. But Topic will reportedly be sidelined for about six weeks after suffering a knee injury while playing Serbian club Crvena Zvezda, according ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Tough news for Nikola Topic who suffered a knee injury in his second Euroleague game which will likely keep him out of action for around six weeks, a source told ESPN. Projected No. 5 pick in the 2024 NBA draft. https://t.co/imGnlzzWxE
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) January 5, 2024
NBA Rumors: Projected Top 10 2024 lottery Pick Suffers Knee Injury
In just his third game with Crvena Zvezda, Topic was injured midway through the third quarter of his club’s 88-72 over their arch-rivals Partizan Mozart on Thursday night. Despite Crvena Zvezda’s medical staff’s best efforts to try to nurse him back into the game, Topic spent the rest of the outing in the dressing room and on the bench.
Topic finished the game with three points, on 1 of 2 shooting from the field and 1 of 1 from the free throw line, three assists, and two boards in 12 minutes of action.
18 year old Nikola Topic SHOWED UP to the Serbian EuroLeague Derby 😤pic.twitter.com/zVgC0IibFi
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) January 4, 2024
The 18-year-old was reportedly seen limping visibly after the game, and the team announced that he sprained his knee.
Topic has started both of Crvena Zvezda Euroleague games since returning after being on loan to fellow Serbian side Mega Basket, where he was expected to remain the entire season.
Who is Nikola 20Topic?
Topic was born in August 2005 in Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro, and is the son of Milenko Topic, a Serbian coach and former professional player. Topic was identified as a top prospect in his native country at an early age. After starting to play basketball in his hometown, the now 6-6 point guard moved to Crvena Zezda’s youth team in 2020. He made his professional debut in 2022 at 16 and became one of the youngest players ever to play in a Euroleague contest at 16 years and 253.
Topic signed his first pro contract this season, inking a 4-year deal with Crvena Zvezda in July. But Zezda decided to loan Topic to Mega Basket to allow him playing time, which he got a lot, averaging 33 minutes in 16 appearances.
Topic ranks among the leaders in several categories in the Serbian ABA league. He leads the league in assists and second in points. He is also third in free throw makes, fifth in free throw attempts, and third in free throw percentage. Overall, he averages 16.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.1 on the season while producing a shooting slash line of .498/.286/.878 in 19 combined appearances.
Topic has also been part of the Serbian junior national team since 2022 and received some accolades as a youth player. Topic has been voted to the All-Tournament Team at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals and was the MVP of the ANGT Belgrade event. This past summer, Topic led Serbia was named tournament MVP for leading Serbia to a gold medal at the U18 European Championship. He also made his national team debut in August as Serbia faced Puerto Rico in a friendly.
Scouting Report
Topic is considered a consensus top prospect in 2024, but will see how the knee injury affects his draft stock. He has grown each year, though his natural gift is the ability to score.
Topic has the body type and skills to develop and get stronger. With plus athleticism, Topic is extremely quick off the dribble when he goes downhill and is a strong finisher at the rim. Topic has demonstrated an ability to run an offense, possesses excellent handles and is an outstanding passer. While Topic is not a high-percentage 3-pointer shooter at this point, he does have good range and an extremely quick release. Defense and rebounding are also areas that need improvement.
