NBA
Thunder’s Nikola Topic is already looking like Sam Presti’s latest draft day steal
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated5 hours ago on July 08, 2025
In the 2025 postseason, the Thunder went an impressive 16-7 en route to winning the NBA Finals. It was a dominant year for Oklahoma City, and they won the franchise’s first NBA title.
The Thunder have started their summer league play, and one player stands out among the rest. Nikola Topic is technically a rookie for OKC despite being drafted in 2024. He was a projected top-five pick and suffered an ACL injury. Topic slipped to #12 and landed with the Thunder. During his summer league play, Topic has created highlights for Oklahoma City. He’s looking like general manager Sam Presti’s latest draft day steal.
Nikola Topic is turning heads for OKC in the summer league
Nikola Topić, projected top 5 pick in the 2024 draft, fell to the 12th overall pick following an ACL tear. Guess who snagged him up and let him rehab this past season…
OKC might have found themselves another star 🌟pic.twitter.com/mTsTWJZJaT
— Underdog (@Underdog) July 8, 2025
With the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, the Thunder selected Nikola Topic out of Serbia. Before his time in the NBA, Topic was with Euroleague’s Red Star and the Adriatic League’s Mega Basket. That is one of the most successful Europe-to-NBA pipelines as of late. Nikola Topic is the perfect player for Oklahoma City’s roster. He fits their blend of size and skill at all positions.
Topic is a point guard and would be a backup for the Thunder. Nobody on the roster is dethroning 2024-25 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the starting PG spot. However, the 19-year-old does have incredible skill on the court to set up his teammates. Topic draws comparisons to the play style of Lakers’ Luka Doncic.
Nikola Topić… so crafty getting to the rim 💪#NBASummer action on ESPNU pic.twitter.com/DhOONc1WzT
— NBA (@NBA) July 5, 2025
The All-NBA PG is not known for high-flying dunks and top-tier athleticism. However, Doncic is a brilliant passer, and his basketball IQ is through the roof. That’s where Nikola Topic draws comparisons to the five-time all-star. Against the 76ers, Topic had quite the sequence. The Sixers were in transition, and Nikola Topic deflected a pass and stole the ball.
He drove to the middle of the lane, and the defense collapsed on him. The PG found his teammate, who came soaring in to finish off a beautiful alley-oop. On the very next possession, Topic disrupted another pass, and OKC stole the ball. This time, Topic faked a pass in transition and kept the ball for an easy layup. If he can find consistency in his shooting from beyond the arc, Nikola Topic could be a difference-maker off the bench for the Thunder.
