Projected top-5 pick Nikola Topić helped off court in Serbia with apparent injury
Projected top-five pick Nikola Topić was helped off the court on Monday after suffering an apparent left knee injury with Crvena zvezda in Game 1 of the ABA League Finals.
Topić sustained the non-contact injury in the third quarter against Partizan after landing awkwardly on the court. He remained on the ground for a few moments and eventually had to be assisted off the court back to the locker room.
The 18-year-old recently returned after missing four months with a ligament injury to the same knee. The extent of the injury isn’t known or how it will affect his availability for the rest of the series.
Topić was named the ABA League Top Prospect after averaging 15 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds on 49.8% shooting from the field in 22 games this season. He joins Nikola Jokić, Goga Bitadze and Nikola Jović as previous players to win the award.
He is projected to be a high pick after dazzling this season in a limited sample size. He brings great size to the next level and is likely more advanced than other prospects, given his professional experience in Serbia, which started when he was 16.
Teams will certainly monitor the latest setback to Topić and determine if it can potentially affect his draft stock. The severity of the injury should become known in the coming days following additional testing and examination.
The 2024 NBA draft will take place June 26-27 in New York City.
