European players are flourishing in the NBA, and Nikola Topic hopes to continue the trend as an NBA draft prospect. He’s a Serbian born guard that projects to be a high-level point guard prospect.
Nikola Topic 2024 Draft Profile
Early Career
Nikola Topic played a majority of his basketball this year in the Serbian Liga ABA. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds during his time with KK Mega Basket. These numbers were very impressive for someone playing in the same league that brought the NBA Nikola Jokic. Even still, Topic increased his competition choosing to join KK Crvena Zvezda of the Euroleague midway through the season. Topic was aware the move could limit his production, but he wanted to play against the best players near him.
Unfortunately, Topic was only able to play two games in the Euroleague before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Strengths
Topic’s primary strengths as an NBA draft prospect are is his playmaking ability combined with positional size. Topic is a traditional point guard at six-foot-six with a reported seven-foot wingspan. He showed an elite passing IQ and pick-and-roll prowess during his time as a young international pro. Topic was very crafty running the show and showed the ability to make advanced passes from a variety of actions.
Another signature strength of Topic was his ability to provide constant rim pressure. While not the most gifted vertical athlete, he does have a very quick first step and crafty ball-handling ability. He was able to get downhill in the Adriatic league almost at will most games, and he combines this ability with above average finishing skills for his age. Lastly, Topic also utilizes the aforementioned skills to be very effective in transition. He’s able to succeed in a fast paced offense, or in the half-court given his pick-and-roll ability.
Weaknesses
Topic’s signature weakness is more of a question mark, and it pertains to his shooting. He shot around 25-30 percent from three playing for multiple teams overseas. These are definitely below average numbers, and his form isn’t the smoothest release you’ve seen. This weakness also plays into another concern for NBA team’s that wonder how effective Topic can be without the ball in his hands. If his shooting is limited and his value is tied to playmaking, he won’t be able to be effective as an off-ball player.
Also, there are questions surrounding Topic’s lack of NBA-level burst and vertical athleticism that may limit his potential. There is reason to believe his craftiness and plus-positional height will be able to compensate however. Lastly, it’s also worth mentioning that Topic’s medicals will need to be checked out as a possible weakness. The knee injury he sustained isn’t thought to be critical, but did sideline him for extended time.
NBA Comparison
Similar to Josh Giddey entering the 2021 draft, Topic gets this pro comparison as a tall, gifted passer and pick-and-roll playmaker. Also similar to Giddey, there are questions about Topic’s outside shot and how well it will translate. Giddey hasn’t quite mastered his perimeter shot yet, so teams will hope Topic shows better progression. Regardless, Topic can be the jumbo-sized lead guard that is becoming a trend in the NBA.
2024 NBA Draft Projection
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