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Mussatto: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti left breadcrumbs with NBA Draft pick Nikola Topic
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- Mussatto: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti left breadcrumbs with NBA Draft pick Nikola Topic
Of course Nikola Topic was the Thunder's pick .
How did we miss all of the signs?!?!
Clue 1: The Thunder just traded Josh Giddey — a big guard, prolific passer, savvy decision maker, strong finisher, shaky shooter, questionable defender. Topic, more or less, checks those same boxes. With Giddey off to Chicago , in steps Topic to replace him.
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"I wouldn't compare him specifically to Josh or any other player in that way, but guys that are big for their position that process the game well, those guys can play pretty much all over the floor in different combinations," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Wednesday night after Round 1. "I don't think you can have enough people that can make decisions on the court. When you combine that with size, it definitely increases the effectiveness or the probabilities of those decisions being good."
That's basically the Thunder's draft ethos.
Clue 2: Topic, who has a partially torn ACL in his left knee, is likely to miss all of next season. A medical redshirt, you say? The Thunder just went through that process with Chet Holmgren . Different players and different injuries, but things worked out OK for Holmgren after a year on the sidelines.
More: Who is Nikola Topic? Meet new OKC Thunder guard, No. 12 pick in NBA Draft
Nikola Topic shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted 12th overall by the Thunder in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"Our experience with Chet and the time that we used with him during his first year was certainly a factor into the way we thought about this opportunity," Presti said of drafting Topic.
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Clue 3: Topic is from Novi Sad, Serbia. You know who else is from Novi Sad, Serbia? Former Thunder Aleksej Pokusevski ! Former Thunder guard Vasilije Micic, another Serbian, was especially familiar with Topic.
"His playmaking, his IQ, it stands out right away," said Acie Law, the Thunder's director of amateur evaluation.
That, packaged with Topic's size at 6-foot-6 and 190 pounds … "You see why he's been so dominant and has had so much success," Law said.
In a draft universally panned as weak, Topic at No. 12 makes sense for the Thunder . The odds of OKC landing a readymade player in this draft were low. The Thunder is well positioned to be patient with Topic, an 18-year-old who's a year away from being an indeterminate time away.
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ESPN analyst Jay Bilas called Topic the "best passer in the draft."
Wrote The Athletic's Sam Vecenie: "His highest upside skill is passing. He's not quite on the playmaking level of the best guards yet, but a lot of his mistakes are the result of youth and exploration."
More: OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for selections in 2024 NBA Draft
Topic might not be the passer Giddey is — few are — but the hope is that the other parts of Topic's game can match or exceed those of Giddey's.
The Thunder moved on from Giddey because Giddey didn't want to buy into a bench role. It was too tough a pill for the former No. 6 pick to swallow. Topic, the No. 12 pick, isn't going to enter the NBA as a starter like Giddey did.
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If Topic hits, he could lead a second unit with his playmaking and scoring chops. You could even dream of more.
"It was a unique situation to get a player of that caliber where we did," Presti said.
Much like Giddey, the glaring hole in Topic's offensive game is his 3-point shot. He's a sub-30% career 3-point shooter.
But what the Thunder likes about Topic is what it liked about Giddey. Big for his position. Makes good decisions.
"Basketball is a game of decisions," Topic told ESPN. "It's a mental game. Using angles. The player that makes a faster decision, that person will win."
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Topic even sounds Thundery.
We should've seen this coming.
More: OKC Thunder lands Dillon Jones via trade 26th in 2024 NBA Draft: Meet Weber State forward
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti left clues with NBA Draft pick Nikola Topic
