OKC Thunder Select Nikola Topic No. 12 Overall at 2024 NBA Draft

With its endless arsenal of NBA Draft picks, Oklahoma City again added to its core on Wednesday night.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to be one of the more interesting teams in the NBA, finishing No. 1 in the Western Conference, winning a Playoffs series and still grabbing the No. 12 overall pick. Even better, they’ve put those picks to good use in the last few years.

At the 2024 NBA Draft, the Thunder took Nikola Topic twelfth overall.

Their newest prospect will join one of the most talented young cores in the league in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and more.

Arguably the best passer in this class, Topic stands at 6-foot-7 with pure point guard skills. Although his season was up-and-down due to injuries in Serbia last season, Topic averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 assists per contest while knocking down just over 30% of his triples. If he wasn’t dealing with a knee injury that could keep him sidelined for quite a while, he may have been a lock to be selected in the top-five of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Per Draft Digest’s earlier scouting report on Topic: Given the high level of skill he possesses, Topic is effective in either guard spot. He’s a fantastic passer with a high assist rate and makes very advanced reads. With either hand, he makes some very difficult passes and sees things many others his age wouldn’t. His ability to beat his primary defender allows him to attract help defenders on drives, which he can exploit with drive-and-kick passes to open teammates.

All eyes now turn to 2024 NBA Summer League, which kicks off Saturday, July 6, with the California Classic. The annual summer showdown featuring all 30 teams takes place from July 12-22 in Las Vegas.

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