Jan 10, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center DaRon Holmes II (14) sits on the bench during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nikola Topic, DaRon Holmes II aim to Impress as Rookies after Missing 2024-25

Originally posted on NBA Draft on SI | By Randall Sweet | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The most recent NBA season saw impressive performances from multiple members of the 2024 draft class.

San Antonio's Stephon Castle won Rookie of the Year, and a handful of first-year players turned in impactful campaigns for their squads. Second-round pick Ajay Mitchell even earned first-quarter minutes in the NBA Finals for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

For two prospects who were picked last June, however, the 2024-25 season didn't go as planned. Nikola Topic and DaRon Holmes II were both first round selections, but were forced to miss all of last year with different injuries.

Topic tore his ACL in the predraft process, and Holmes tore his achilles during his Summer League debut in July 2024. Both were sidelined for what would have been their rookie seasons, and will now be in the running for rookie awards in 2025-26.

Topic, a 19-year-old guard from Serbia, joins a deep Thunder roster that is fresh off an NBA title. Topic put up 10.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game, shooting 33.3% from the field and 20.8% from 3-point range in six contests.

Assist vision on pic.twitter.com/9RvhsKbEx0
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 10, 2025

The No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 class, Topic was originally seen as a potential top-five pick before his knee injury. While the talented playmaker's finishing ability looked rusty during Summer League action, Topic's passing acumen was on full display.

If the 6-foot-6 guard can knock down shots consistently, he should be able to find a decent role off the bench for the defending champions, especially in a long regular season that could see the Thunder try to limit players like Alex Caruso.

Holmes, on the other hand, joins a team that desparetly needed more depth during its 2025 playoff run. The Nuggets took Oklahoma City to the brink in the second round, but in the end, the team's auxillary players couldn't produce enough to take down the Thunder.

Now, Denver adds Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown and Holmes, and appears to be a much more formidable opponent. In his final season at Dayton, Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 54.4% from the field and 38.6% from beyond the arc.

WE GOT A DARON SLAM pic.twitter.com/F19YW2QEP1
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 16, 2025

The 6-foot-10 22-year-old averaged 13 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal while shooting 42.1% from 3-point range in four Summer League games this season, and looks posied to be a solid rotation piece for the Nuggets as a rookie.

This article first appeared on NBA Draft on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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