Nikola Topic takes big step closer to joining Thunder

Topic, who was projected to be a top lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, slid down to 12 for the Thunder after he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. He spent all of last season rehabing before making his summer-league debut for the Thunder in Las Vegas.

Topic averaged 10.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.2 rebounds across six games for the Thunder in summer league. He played in one preseason game before his cancer diagnosis.

Nikola Topic makes G League debut after cancer diagnosis

Amid Thunder guard Nikola Topic’s cancer diagnosis before his NBA debut, he’ll get his first feel of G League basketball as a member of the Oklahoma City Blue. Before Topic’s testicular cancer diagnosis, he reflected on what sitting out his entire rookie season was like, and the lessons learned while watching from the sidelines.

“It was hard, you know? I didn’t play a basketball game for a very long time, and that was really hard,” Topic said. “But, as you go through that process, you learn something about yourself that you didn’t know you had. You didn’t know how strong you were and how human bodies are strong. I’ll say I took the positives from it and learned from it.”

Topic’s G League stint is an exciting development for the first-round pick.