NBA Draft: Topić Injury Offers Slim Hope of Father-Son Reunion in Orlando

Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday night. Most mock drafts see Serbian guard Nikola Topić selected from No. 10 to No. 13. But if he somehow falls to Orlando, his father (and Magic team scout) Milenko Topić will be waiting with open arms.

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ORLANDO — Could the Orlando Magic get lucky with the No. 18 overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft and land a player who once was projected as a top-10 pick? One mock draft thinks so.

Serbian guard Nikola Topić tore his ACL at an NBA Combine, but ESPN, the Ringer, Bleacher Report, and six of CBS' seven draft experts project Topić somewhere from No. 10 to No. 13, with one outlier having him go as high as No. 4. In other words, all outside of the Magic's reach.

Should the 6-foot-7 Serbian guard slide, one CBS draftnik sees Topić coming to the Magic. Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer also tabbed Orlando as the floor for Topić and pointed out the impact of the Magic having Nikola's father, Milenko Topić, as a scout in their front office.

"League figures don’t expect him to fall that far and have pinned a potential backstop for Topić at No. 18 to Orlando, as the Magic hired Topić’s father, Milenko Topić, a former Serbian head coach, to the team’s front office this past season, according to league sources."

Nikola spoke of his father's role and how he has enjoyed his time thus far with the Magic.

“He didn’t really like coaching," Nikola told Yahoo Sports. "This scouting job, he’s having a lot of fun traveling and watching players.”

Nikola, 18, averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 assists across 13 games for Mega BG in the ABA League. He made 65.4 percent of his shots inside the arc and around the basket but only 28.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.

If the Magic believes in Topić's upside and is willing to wait, he give them positional size and a playmaker to potentially pair with Jalen Suggs. Topić's ability to pass could help generate easier looks for an offense that ranked 24th in points per game last season and was among the NBA's worst 3-point shooting teams.

The first round of the NBA Draft begins on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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