Report: Nikola Topić avoids serious knee injury in ABA League Finals
Projected top-five pick Nikola Topić reportedly avoided a serious left knee injury on Monday while playing with Crvena zvezda in Game 1 of the ABA League Finals, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Topić sustained the non-contact injury in the third quarter against Partizan and had to be helped off the court by teammates following the play. He was reportedly diagnosed with a sprain and will likely miss the remainder of the series.
The 18-year-old is expected be a full participant in workouts and interviews with teams ahead of the 2024 NBA draft on June 26-27. He will also conduct medical testing and other on-court activities at the NBA Global Camp on June 6 in Treviso, Italy.
NEWS: Projected top-10 pick Nikola Topic has avoided serious injury, sources told ESPN. Initial diagnosis revealed a sprained left knee which likely rules him out of the remainder of the Adriatic League finals. Should be a full participant in NBA pre-draft activities in June. pic.twitter.com/Uwz6a7HLWh
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 14, 2024
Topić missed four months after suffering a ligament injury to the same knee in January. He has played in four games since returning on April 22, including Monday, averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals.
The 6-foot-6 guard 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 joined Nikola Jokić, Goga Bitadze and Nikola Jović as previous players to win the award.
Topić 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.
