By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After capturing everyone’s attention both in Europe and in the US, with hundreds of scouts coming over to watch him play for the past few years, Nikola Topic declared his participation in this year’s NBA Draft and is projected to be selected among the best 10 players in the 2004 rookie class.
However, as ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported, his current health status may condition his selection. According to what his agent Misko Raznatovic told the American prospect expert, the 18-year-old Serbian talent has a partially torn ACL.
Moreover, taking part in this year’s Draft Combine in Italy after the end of the Adidas EuroCamp in Treviso, Crvena Zvezda‘s gem underwent NBA’s medical examination. In the next few days, Givony adds, he will travel to the US to be checked by NBA doctors and understand the situation better.
“The doctors who checked the stability of the knee confirmed that is in excellent shape”, Misko Raznatovic told ESPN and Jonathan Givony, adding that “he does not expect the injury to have a major impact on [Nikola] Topic’s draft stock because of his youth and initial feedback from U.S. doctors who have reviewed his MRIs”.
Nikola Topic’s 2023-24 hasn’t been the most stable in terms of injuries, suffering a left knee during the EuroLeague derby against Partizan and missing four months of action. He injured himself once again in Game 1 of the ABA League Finals, once again against Partizan.
Part of Crvena Zvezda‘s youth system since 2020, he especially shone with Mega Basket since moving there in 2023. In this year’s ABA League, he averaged 15.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists between the two clubs. He also made his debut in the EuroLeague, playing against Fenerbahce and Partizan Belgrade in Round 18 and 19.
NEWS: Projected top-10 NBA draft pick Nikola Topic has a partially torn ACL, his agent, Misko Raznatovic, confirmed to ESPN. Topic is at the NBA’s Draft Combine in Italy, where he went through the NBA’s medical examination.
STORY: https://t.co/j2NjnE38Kl pic.twitter.com/BqGWygrm9b
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 5, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague