Nikola Topic: NBA draft scouting report and intel
2005 | 6’6 | 7’0 WS | 201 LBS
Team: Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
Best aggregate mock draft rank: 1 / Worst rank: 15
Agent: Misko Raznatovic
In 13 Adriatic League games, Topic averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 assists per game, shooting 52.4 percent from the field and a three-point percentage of 28.2 percent. He also recorded 0.9 steals and 3.1 turnovers per game.
His father, Milenko Topic, is a former professional basketball player, head coach and gold medalist with the Yugoslavian National Team.
Strengths:
* Big-bodied lead guard with effective use of size
* Effective scorer within the arc with 52.4 percent shooting accuracy
* Ability to play on or off-ball, excelling as a shot creator
* Proficient in scoring from all three levels
* Creative touch and under-the-basket moves for finishing around the rim
* Impressive passing ability with good vision and delivery
* Dynamic pick-and-roll operator, proficient in distributing and scoring
* Elite transition player with excellent floor reading ability
* Encouraging defensive effort, anticipation, and hustle, averaging 1.5 to 2.0 steals per game
* Shows potential as a sneaky good defender in the NBA
Weaknesses:
* Inconsistent three-point shooting (28.2 percent)
* Average athleticism, susceptible to being beaten by quicker players
* Questions about defensive capabilities at the NBA level
* Uncertainty regarding ability to be an elite shot-creator in the NBA
* Health concerns following recent knee injury
* Undecided on whether to continue development overseas or move to the NBA immediately
Scotto's draft notes:
“I love Topic’s brain and physicality,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “I like his demeanor and he’s played at a high level overseas. I think he’s shooting high 50s at the rim. A part of his game he’ll have to develop is his outside shooting. If you’re going to be a lead guard in the NBA, you’ve got to be able to come off highball screens and knock down shots. You’ve got to be able to pull the defense away from the rim so that you can get to those drives and into the seems to make passes to shooters that are surrounding you.”
“He feels smaller than 6-foot-7,” another NBA executive explained. “I feel like since he doesn’t have great length, he’s functionally more like a 6-foot-4 guard, which is still good for that position. I think he’s a guy you can put into an NBA game today and feel comfortable that he’ll be productive with the right guys around him. I don’t know if he’ll be an elite-level player, but I think he can play at a high level right now in his first year.”
“Topic is 6-foot-7, and he can handle the ball, so some people will compare him to LaMelo Ball,” an NBA scout told HoopsHype. “I don’t trust his shot yet. Will he stay overseas for a year?”
