Mark Daigneault’s surprising ‘pure point guard’ take on Thunder’s Nikola Topic

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Mark Daigneault’s surprising ‘pure point guard’ take on Thunder’s Nikola Topic

Josue Pavon, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sat, Feb 21, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Mark Daigneault's surprising 'pure point guard' take on Thunder's Nikola Topic appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was blown away by rookie Nikola Topic , who he says, helped his team secure a 105-86 win against the Brooklyn Nets . Topic finished with nine points and two assists while closing the door on the Nets in the final frame.

For Daigneault, Topic is one of the NBA's rare pure point guards, he explained, during his postgame media availability, as the Thunder head coach was truly impressed by Topic's play in only his second game.

"Basketball doesn't have a lot of actual pure point guards anymore. There's unbelievable skill, but the traditional team runners, there's not a ton of those guys, and that's what he is: he can run your team. He's gonna get you organized up the floor. He understands what we're trying to accomplish even at this extremely early infant stage of his career, and he's got the passing to go with it.

"He's got a long way to go. He's got a lot to learn even offensively in terms of creating advantages, reading the different coverages he's going to see when the league learns him a little bit; that'll be a new challenge for him. But he's off to a great start."

While reminding reporters that Topic is still in the infant stages of his NBA career, the rookie's impressive start following an ACL injury and a testicular cancer diagnosis, Daigneault put Friday's performance into perspective.

"That's his second NBA game. So, to really evaluate him in the context would be unfair," Daigneault said. "But, he's obviously a really good player. He's got a really good sense for the game. He goes in there and acts like he belongs. He shoots the threes. He's not afraid to drive."

Topic went 4-for-6 from the floor, including 1-for-2 from deep. He also finished with three rebounds, all in 11 minutes off the bench.

Nikola Topic reflects on 'awesome' Thunder win

In only his second game, Thunder rookie Nikola Topic helped his team secure a win, fending off the Nets in the final frame of a 19-point win at the Paycom Center. Jared McCain's season-high 21 points off the bench led the Thunder in scoring. However, in only his second game, Topic addressed the media in his first postgame press conference of the season.

Topic took the time to thank the Thunder fans for their warm embrace during his NBA debut last week.

"Awesome moment. I'll remember that for the rest of my life — thanks to the fans," Topic said. "For sure, I'll remember that for the rest of my life."

Still getting back into the swing of things, Topic, who hadn't played in a basketball game in nearly two years, said it took him a bit to acclimate to playing again.

"It was pretty weird at first. I'm kind of getting back the feel for the game again," Topic added. "I was out for a while. It was so weird coming back. I was catching myself doing stuff I was never did before. It was pretty tough to adjust to that, but every game was better. First game in the G League. Second game was better. First game here was OK. Second one was better. But I think it will only get better."

The Thunder will host the Cavs on Sunday.

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