Nikola Topic, a 6’7″ guard from Serbia who is expected to be a top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has recently suffered a setback in the form of an injury that could impact his draft stock. Topic’s agent confirmed that he has a partial tear of his left ACL, which he sustained earlier this year while playing for his club team, Red Star Belgrade. Despite taking time off to recover, Topic re-injured his knee after returning to the court for three games.
Although the exact severity of his injury is still unknown, Topic is scheduled to travel to the United States for further evaluation by NBA doctors. They will determine whether surgery is necessary and outline a plan for his recovery. As a result, it is likely that Topic will miss a significant portion, if not the entirety, of the 2024-25 season.
Despite this setback, Topic’s valuable skill set as a tall guard with a crafty dribbling game and strong passing ability is still attractive to NBA teams. However, concerns remain about his shooting and defensive capabilities at the professional level. Ultimately, teams will have to weigh the risks of drafting Topic given his injury against the potential rewards of his on-court talents.