OKC Thunder Red Shirt Rookie Still An Interesting Fit

Some teams have tried to thread the needle of two timelines. Getting the here-and-now success as well as developmental pieces for sustainability.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have done that organically.

As the Thunder sit in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016, there is still plenty of eyes on its future.

This is the youngest team in the playoff field and they are still viewed as the favorites to win the NBA Finals. It would be the first time the Thunder have hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in Bricktown.

No, the basis of this article is not surveying the mountain of future NBA Draft picks that Sam Presti sits atop. There is plenty of time for that. But rather, someone who is already on Oklahoma City's roster.

This season, Nikola Topic has sat on the bench in street clothes all season as he rehabs yet another knee injury.

Topic tumbled to the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft due to those injuries after being viewed as a top five talent in his class.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were opportunistic in selecting him with the deepest most talent-rich roster in the NBA allowing them to red shirt Topic for the entire season.

However, it is impossible not to think of what this Thunder unit would look like with a healthy Topic.

Sure, with such a crowded rotation that Mark Daigneault is more than willing to dip into minutes will be hard to comeby but the 19-year-old point guard offers a unique skillset not found on this Thunder roster.

The ability to create offense for others as well as turn the corner to get downhill to the rim could really help Oklahoma City's secondary unit. The question is how much does his playmaking and self creation translate to the next level? If it is anywhere close to a 1:1 he is more than a helpful player for the OKC Thunder.

Despite his shooting limitation (While having upside) and defensive shortcomings, Oklahoma City can mask that end of the floor for the youngster by flanking him with all-defensive caliber players.

It won't be known until October how Topic helps out the Thunder, but he is still lurking in the shadows for what has been the league's best team all season long.