Who is Nikola Topic? Meet the Thunder's new guard, 12th pick in the NBA draft

NEW YORK – Even the clamor inside the Barclays Center was clearly uncertain. So few people predicted the Thunder’s plan for draft night.

Nikola Topic certainly had no idea.

His fate on draft night was murky before Sam Presti intervened. Topic, who was diagnosed with a partial torn ACL earlier this month, has gradually seen his name slip in the lottery as Wednesday’s NBA draft approaches.

A cycle without what experts considered obvious stars was doomed to sow confusion. By the time Adam Silver announced the No. 12 pick, an unpredictable game had already been mixed up. Presti sought out vision, a player who will likely redshirt his entire rookie year before suiting up.

“No, no,” Topic responded when asked if he expected to be drafted by the Thunder. “I didn’t think of anything, no one. I was just there for a ride, and whoever took me, I would be happy.

More: Mussatto: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti left bread crumbs with NBA Draft pick Nikola

The Thunder’s direction was never clear, but even less so once potential targets started flying off the board. Ron Holland, an athlete with plenty of upside, rightfully brought his Cartier glasses to Detroit; Tidjane Salaun, as much of a project as anyone in the lottery, landed with the Hornets; Cody Williams, if he’s even considered, was stolen by Danny Ainge.

The 18-year-old Serbian mentioned that he and members of the Thunder organization had spoken “a few times” but that he had never visited Oklahoma. Topic did, however, make in-person visits with other teams.

A few things were certain in Topic’s (and perhaps Thunder fans’) initial confusion: Oklahoma City, after a 57-win season and a promising first playoff run for this iteration for the Thunder, was in a position to gamble with its choice. And the Thunder, having hosted Chet Holmgren, whose Lisfranc injury robbed him of his freshman year, has experience with redshirts.

“They know what they’re doing,” Topic said.

Presti noted Wednesday night in Oklahoma City that the team expects Topic to be sidelined next season. From across the country, Topic said he has no idea of his recovery timetable and will speak with the team’s medical staff this week to get a better idea.

He expressed that throughout his process, the teams showed a certain optimism. Topic has declared his love for the NBA.

“Here, NBA teams are looking three or four years ahead, not right now,” Topic said. “It’s great. In Europe, every game counts. It’s the best league in the world, and that’s why.

More: 2024 NBA Draft Tracker: OKC Thunder picks Nikola Topic 12th overall, Dillon Jones 26th

Injury timeline aside, the Thunder’s interest in Topic at No. 12 was understandable. Presti, who was likely considering free agency and trade goals to further his title quest, had room to swing. And before the pre-draft process revealed his injury, Topic had been considered a top-five pick for much of the draft cycle. The obvious question of recovery time — which the Thunder were able to make fun of — never stopped him from receiving an invitation to a green room.

Even after Josh Giddey’s rough season and a second-round playoff performance that saw his minutes decline, Presti remained hopeful. His plans were for Giddey, now with the Bulls after a trade that brought Alex Caruso to OKC, to exploit his strengths from the bench. Being the great facilitator that the Thunder recruited, the one who dazzled and kept his promises.

These intentions were ambushed by Giddey’s ambition. On Wednesday, Presti got the closest thing in this draft in Topic.

Topic, a 6-foot-6 point guard, averaged 18.4 points and 7.1 assists in 12 games with Mega MIS last season. He will emerge from his convalescence as a talented passer, capable of making multiple assists. He’s not a remarkable athlete, but he finished with promising results this season.

It will offer similar benefits to the Giddey of old, and it will do so without needing to start – or without any waiting. Presti will once again be able to shape an archetype he loves.

“I don’t think it’s possible to have enough people capable of making decisions on the ground,” Presti said, “and when you combine that with size, it definitely increases the effectiveness or the odds that these decisions are good.”

More: NBA Draft Tracker: 2024 Draft Order Results, Where First-Round Prospects Are Going

And before the end of the first round, Topic was supplanted as the Thunder’s most intriguing move.

Presti returned in the first round, reportedly trading five second-round picks to the New York Knicks for the right to draft Weber State’s Dillon Jones with the 26th pick. Jones did not receive an invitation to the green room. ESPN placed Jones at No. 50, and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic mocked him at No. 65 on his big board.

Presti likely saw what he saw in so many of his players during this iteration: versatility. Jones did a little bit of everything last year. He spent time running pick-and-rolls, thriving in transition and spotting up (although he shot just 32.4 percent from three-point range this season). Before that, he ranked among the top 10 rebounders in the country during his sophomore and junior seasons.

He did so when he was 6-foot-6 with a 6-11 wingspan.

Before Topic could shake the feeling of being stunned, a hand reached out to him.

Thunder forward Jalen Williams, dressed as bold as a lottery pick himself, was waiting for Topic in hopes of congratulating him before he reached the stage. Topic then understood what was most concrete about his new destination: he had entered a core of young players embracing their excessively young peers.

“He just said ‘welcome, teammate,’” Topic said, “and that means a lot to me because he accepted me.”