The Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorites to win the NBA Finals, and they did it without a marquee draft pick.
Entering the 2024-25 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder were expected to be one of the very best teams in the NBA, and they did not disappoint, losing only four games in the Western Conference playoffs to make the NBA Finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP, Jalen Williams made the All-Star Game, Chet Holmgren is an elite young player, and Lu Dort and Alex Caruso are lockdown defenders.
They managed to post the league’s best record without Nikola Topic, their 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Topic was the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Serbia. He tore his ACL in an Adriatic League game in May and was unable to suit up at all this NBA season. Before his injury, he was touted as one of the very best prospects in the draft and was expected by some to be the first pick.
However, his injury caused him to fall, and the Thunder scooped him up, hoping he would be able to return in 2025-26.
In his last healthy season, Topic averaged a stellar 18.4 points and 7.4 assists for Mega Basket in the ABA, and was considered one of the best floor generals in the 2024 draft class. He is an excellent passer and ball handler, and is an efficient scorer inside the arc.
While his career 24.7% mark from deep in Europe suggests that there will be a learning curve in the NBA, he is crafty in the paint and can get to the rim, scoring with ease.
His biggest concern surrounds his health and defense, which projects to be average in the NBA. Still, Topic is expected to join an elite core of players in OKC next season, and could be a long-term running mate next to SGA, Holmgren, and Williams, adding even more talent to the title favorites.
In 2022, the Thunder picked Holmgren second overall, and he suffered a foot injury shortly thereafter, keeping him out for the entire season. He bounced back, finishing second to Victor Wembanyama as the Rookie of the Year.
There is a hope that Topic will follow a similar path.
While OKC has no shortage of backcourt talent on either side of the ball, Topic spent four seasons with some of Europe’s top clubs and was expected to be NBA-ready from day one.
The 2024 NBA Draft, even before Topic’s injury, was expected to be a weaker class, although the Thunder will be adding a young talent next season for effectively nothing. On top of that, OKC has been linked to premier trade candidates like Giannis Antetokounmpo and boasts two first-round picks in 2025.
Regardless of how the Thunder navigate the offseason, they will return next season with an even better roster, and Topic’s breakout next year should be an overlooked storyline a year in the making.
