Nikola Topić will have to wait even longer to make his NBA debut.
Topić, who missed his entire rookie campaign last season due to a torn ACL, underwent a testicular procedure Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced. He’ll be evaluated again in four-to-six weeks, meaning he’ll miss the beginning of the season for the Thunder. Further specifics of his injury are not yet known.
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The Thunder took Topić with the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Serbia. He tore his left ACL just a few weeks before the Thunder selected him, however, and he ended up missing the entire 2024-25 campaign as a result. The Thunder knew this was the expectation when they drafted him and took him anyway.
Topić was widely projected as a top-five pick in the draft before the injury. He averaged 15.1 points and 5.9 assists per game in the Adriatic League during the 2023-24 campaign, when he helped lead Crvena zvezda to a league championship. He also earned MVP honors as Serbia won the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2023, too.
Topić played in the Thunder’s preseason win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, too. He had 10 points and seven assists in that contest after getting the start and playing 31 minutes.
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If Topić is only out four weeks, he would be able to return in early November. The Thunder, fresh off their first championship since relocating to Oklahoma, will open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Houston Rockets.