OKC Thunder: Nikola Topic Will Need Time to Develop

Nikola Topic has been a widely discussed player in recent months, having sat out of the Thunder’s championship season due to injury, but potentially brining some needed talent at the point guard position.

Drafted in 2024, Topic sat out last year with an ACL injury, but is now amidst a Summer League campaign for Oklahoma City. For the most part he played well in his first quasi-NBA action, pouring on 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting, with four assists and two steals.

Perhaps the most telling number of his night were his seven turnovers, which came on a variety of unfortunate situations: being hounded at the point-of-attack, losing his handle while driving, or simply passing into the defense.

The high number of turnovers was a reminder about a fairly constant NBA theme: point guards need ample time to develop.

The lead guard position is among the toughest in the league, especially for players who thrive more with skill rather than athleticism, which Topic falls into. Handling the rock, setting up offense and thriving off-ball has one of the steepest learning curves in the sport, especially for younger players without NBA experience.

Even more, Topic has played truly competitive, five-on-five basketball consistently for some time, and will generally need time to get back in the swing of things. He shot up rankings due to white-hot play in the ABA, but wasn't projected to be a Day 1 play in the NBA regardless.

All this and more should leave some grace for his Summer League slate, but especially for Year 1 impact. With the Thunder fresh off a championship and still owning a contending-level squad, there’s a chance Topic won’t be able to massively impact games early.

No matter how Topic comes out of Summer League, good or bad, he’ll need time to iron out the kinks. But OKC is playing with house money regardless given where they sit atop the league.