'He's Getting Bigger': OKC's Kenrich Williams Details Nikola Topic's Recovery

With a full season to recover from injury, Nikola Topic has been developing in his recovery process to prepare for his debut next year.

Jan 8, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (34) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The focus has been on the present for the Oklahoma City Thunder en route to its clinching of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on Thursday — but it might be forgotten that it has a first-round pick still lurking in the background.

The No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Nikola Topic, will still miss the entirety of his true rookie season due to a partially torn ACL that he sustained ahead of his selection. Oklahoma City knew that he would need a long recovery process, but that didn't stop it from taking him in the lottery.

The Thunder didn't necessarily need a high-impact rookie to come in and play significant minutes, so it desired to go for potential instead. Spending a year within the organization — like Chet Holmgren did a couple of years ago — could do wonders for his development.

Forward Kenrich Williams detailed what he's seen in Topic's recovery process over the season — especially in the weight room.

"That dude is working every day behind the scenes," Williams said. "You can tell his body is changing. He's getting a little bigger. He's itching to get back, but you got to be grateful he's able to get back and play, and do the things he's doing right now."

Even if Topic might be at a point to where he could play now, it wouldn't make sense for either side for it to happen at this point in the season. Oklahoma City is gearing up for a playoff run where it has a legitimate chance at reaching the NBA Finals, so a rookie coming in obviously wouldn't be necessary.

The development for Topic is positive, however, setting him up for a high-potential rookie season. The Thunder cap situation could get dicey in the next few seasons, so having a player on a rookie contract that can give strong production would be valuable in potentially replacing some talent.

The debut of Topic is a long ways away, but it is something Oklahoma City should be excited about. All of the work unnoticed to those outside of the team, could result in quite the rookie campaign.

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