Summer League Scouting Report: Nikola Topic

By Isaiah Magar | KZA Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have completed two of their three Summer League games in Salt Lake City and though they haven't been the easiest on the eyes, they have been very valiant efforts by the boys in blue and white. After falling to the Grizzlies in game 1 80-92, the Thunder bounced back when to win a sloppy 89-78 contest against the 76ers which featured a total of 72 free throws.

One of, if not THE main attraction for this contest (following the news of VJ Edgecombe sitting out) was 19- year old Nikola Topic. The Thunder rookie finished the game with 11 points, three rebounds, five assists, and three steals. In terms of efficiency, Topic had a rather sour night hitting only 2-13 from the field including 0-6 from beyond the arc. He did plenty of other things on the court though, and below is laid out a deeper dive into his game.

Following a high turnover Game 1, Nikola was able to limit himself to just two in Game 2. He was turnover-free for nearly the whole game until he got ahead of himself nearing the end. His handle was much tighter and he was sure not to force any passes into windows that wouldn't fit them. He always seemed to choose the right target and use stellar ball placement skills to set up his teammates for easy buckets.

Topic was able to lead strong fastbreaks, being unpredictable in his choice to dish for a teammate's basket or take it to the hoop himself. Not only does he make the right choices, he also worked in a bit of finesse to some of his passes, catching defenders off guard.

He was a patient ball handler, using his position as leverage, keeping defenders on his hip, and surgically navigating the opponent's defense. There were a couple times it felt like he picked up his dribble a bit too soon. Expect that to change as he gets more comfortable being deep in the paint.

Defensively, he is very solid on ball. He has generally been able to stay in front of his guy, and is good about clogging up passing lanes. He's good at reading offenses, though he can sometimes be caught ball watching as his off-ball man can slip behind him for what could be easy backdoor buckets.

Mentioned were his poor shooting numbers. It felt like his coaches had to be telling him to try and get his with some of the shots he ended up taking. His basketball IQ is too high to be taking a couple of the early shot clock looks he took. He generally will give up his own good shot for a great shot by a teammate. We saw a bit of that tonight, but also some questionable shot selections.

He was very good at taking charge when he needed to, primarily in the second quarter and in late game clock situations, looking for plays late in quarters. His offensive awareness is very high, knowing where his teammates are and seeing passing lanes others may not. His defensive awareness, on the other hand, could use a bit of work. It's not terrible, but certainly a weakness.

He is undoubtedly a floor general. His constant communication and encouragement of his comrades continues to showcase his basketball intelligence.

For his second game back from injury, Nikola Topic is certainly showing flashes of who Thunder GM Sam Presti thought he was when he drafted him. Expect him to continue to develop, learn, and grow.

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