Serbian Nikola Topic Could Be On Miami Heat's Draft Radar At No. 15

Zach Buckley | Jun 18, 2024

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Serbian point guard Nikola Topic is regarded as one of the top prospects in this class for a big chunk of the 2024 NBA pre-draft process.

Yet, it’s conceivable the Miami Heat may still have a chance to take him with the 15th pick.

Why? Because it was recently discovered Topic has a partially torn ACL. While that hasn’t torpedoed his draft stock, it has caused some slippage. Before, you might find him listed among the top five picks. Now, mock-drafters aren’t sure he’ll land in the lottery.

Topic’s injury will likely delay his debut, but a team willing to wait for him could be handsomely
rewarded. He is a 6-foot-6 playmaker with enough creativity and craft to elicit a comparison from The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor to none other than former Heat guard Goran Dragic. Topic isn’t a super athlete or some ball-handling savant, yet he seemingly always gets where he wants.

He can score from all angles around the basket, consistently create out of pick-and-rolls and slip passes through the narrowest windows. His three-point shot isn’t there yet, but his touch says it will be there at some point, especially if he winds up in a developmental program as high quality as the Heat’s.

If Miami can live with the idea of not getting opening-night contributions from its first-round pick, Topic has plenty to offer this team over time.

Zach Buckley works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at zbuck07@gmail.com or follow him on X @ZachBuckleyNBA.

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