Thunder Rookie Guard Working Through Similar Trajectory to Chet Holmgren

One of the 2024 Draft's premier talents slid down the board into the hands of OKC because of injury

Nikola Topic is pictured during the Thunder media day at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Projected to be one of the first players off the board in the 2024 NBA Draft, Serbian guard Nikola Topic eventually slid down the draft board because of a partially-torn ACL suffered overseas.

Topic now comes into the 2024 season unable to play immedietly and working to get back to full strength. He wasn't the only OKC player to endure a similar, as forward Chet Holmgren suffered a foot injury in his to-be rookie season in 2022, putting him out the entirety of the year. Both young players have endured hardships entering the league, both with similar situations.

Holmgren has guided Topic through the early stages of his recovery because of his experiences in the same boat. The big man had to be patient and strong-willed to recover from his foot injury and those same techniques seem to be mirrored by the Serbian.

"I talked to him [Chet Holmgren] a lot about that, and he has been really helpful with that," Topic said. "The main thing he told me was just be patient and I'm trying to be patient."

This is the longest Topic has ever been out with an injury as he continues to rehab his left knee. The Thunder have a long history of succesful rehabilitation with injured players, especially players with long term injuries. Holmgren is a good exmaple of that, which sets the example for Topic.

Not being able to play or participate with the team has been a struggle early for Topic and probably won't get any less challenging. The Serbian rookie is now in the NBA, but is enduring this as a road bump early on.

"Watching other guys play and not being able to be with them on the court," Topic said.

Topic averaged 14.5 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists for Crvena Zvezxa in the 2023-'24 season. He was taken No. 12 overall in the draft by the Thunder and was looked at as a potential top-10 pick. The inury to his left knee was certainly a deciding factor in his draft stock plummeting.

He will prove a valuable playmaking asset and a creative facilitator for OKC when he is fully healthy. If the Thunder's medical staff continues their work with Topic similar to players with injuries in the past, he should come back stronger and ready to take on the NBA.

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