Nikola Topic dealt with two knee injuries last season, but that didn’t stop scouts from placing the young Serbian high on NBA Draft boards. The 18-year-old was widely considered a top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and had a chance to go as high as the Hawks’ No. 1 pick.
However, the stock of themes may now change.
A recent medical exam at the NBA Draft Combine in Italy revealed that Topic partially tore his left ACL, the same knee he had injured during the season, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
NBA teams that select in the top 15 of the draft will receive Topic’s medical and will make any necessary adjustments to their big boards accordingly.
Here’s the latest on Topic’s injury status and the draft.
What is Nikola Topic’s injury?
Topic suffered a left knee injury in January after transferring from Mega MIS to Red Star Belgrade.
The Serbian prospect was out for four months and returned for three matches before the first game of the Adriatic League finals. He almost immediately re-injured his left knee. It was later revealed at the NBA Draft Combine in Italy that Topic suffered a partially torn ACL.
Topic will travel to the United States for the NBA Draft and will be evaluated by NBA doctors before the event in late June.
How long will Nikola Topic be out?
The recovery schedule for the issue has not yet been determined. It is a partial tear, which should certainly take less recovery time than a complete tear. That being said, he has had the same injured knee since January.
Scouts have known about Topic’s knee issues for the past few months, but the new revelation is the partially torn ACL. He told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine in Italy that he wasn’t 100 percent yet.
“I haven’t started running or practicing basketball,” he said. “I’m focusing on rehab, on my body and my knee.”
Nikola Topic at the NBA Draft Combine in Treviso, Italy, when asked about his knee injury:
“I’m not 100% cured. I haven’t started running or playing basketball. I’m focusing on rehab, on my body and my knee.” pic.twitter.com/xL0JsMzkPy
-Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 4, 2024
The severity of the ACL tear will likely be determined when Topic meets with NBA doctors ahead of the NBA Draft later this month.
Nikola Topic Stock Project
The 2024 NBA Draft is considered a weaker class compared to recent years. There is no clear number one pick and Topic certainly benefited from that.
The 18-year-old is expected to finish in the top 10, but could go as high as No. 1. Kyle Irving of Jugo Mobile has the Wizards selecting Topic at No. 2 in his latest NBA mock draft . Irving also ranked Topic second on his big board.
Despite discovering Topic’s ACL tear, his agent Misko Raznatovic does not believe it will affect his draft stock, citing Topic’s youth and doctors’ initial opinions.
“Doctors who checked the stability of the knee confirmed that it is in excellent shape,” Raznatovic said. ESPN.
Whether this is true will likely be determined once more doctors are able to examine the outlook in the United States.
It’s not uncommon for a top pick to slide due to injury. Nerlens Noel fell in the 2013 draft after suffering a complete ACL tear, and Michael Porter Jr. fell to 14th overall in 2018 due to a back injury.
