Nikola Topic

[tester551]

Can someone post a link to good game highlights where he looks like a too prospect?

I don't want to see the curated 'scouting report' type film... but more whole game footage.

The 2-3 videos that Ive watched so far, I struggle seeing him even be drafted. I saw 1 nice dribble drive attacking the basket- but outside of that... I thought he was extremely mediocre

Struggle seeing him drafted?

Is your head okay? He has much better tape offensively than Coulibally who was drafted in the lottery last year.

Or I assume you didn't think he would be drafted either?

Yes - the videos I saw - he looked slow & pudgy.

If you have tape where he looks like a top 10 pick, please provide a link. I want to see...

For the record, I was high on Coulibally. Not as high as the Wizards... but I had him ~10-12 on my draft board.

In this video, he had 1-2 really impressive passes and 1-2 above average passes.
Defensively, he's terrible.

I still have a tough time seeing what makes him a top 10 pick.
https://youtu.be/h3KN-gul6ts?feature=shared

[Waynearchetype]

Struggle seeing him drafted?

Is your head okay? He has much better tape offensively than Coulibally who was drafted in the lottery last year.

Or I assume you didn't think he would be drafted either?

Yes - the videos I saw - he looked slow & pudgy.

If you have tape where he looks like a top 10 pick, please provide a link. I want to see...

For the record, I was high on Coulibally. Not as high as the Wizards... but I had him ~10-12 on my draft board.

In this video, he had 1-2 really impressive passes and 1-2 above average passes.
Defensively, he's terrible.

I still have a tough time seeing what makes him a top 10 pick.
https://youtu.be/h3KN-gul6ts?feature=shared

If you squint his size, stats, and name looks like Doncic. It's like after Porzingis draft the next year Dragan Bender shot up in the draft almost entirely on his coat tails. Not saying Topic is a bust, he is a pretty good prospect especially compared to Bender lol, but theres definitely a lot of folks wanting to draw comparisons to Doncic.

[Hal14]

Struggle seeing him drafted?

Is your head okay? He has much better tape offensively than Coulibally who was drafted in the lottery last year.

Or I assume you didn't think he would be drafted either?

Yes - the videos I saw - he looked slow & pudgy.

If you have tape where he looks like a top 10 pick, please provide a link. I want to see...

For the record, I was high on Coulibally. Not as high as the Wizards... but I had him ~10-12 on my draft board.

In this video, he had 1-2 really impressive passes and 1-2 above average passes.
Defensively, he's terrible.

I still have a tough time seeing what makes him a top 10 pick.
https://youtu.be/h3KN-gul6ts?feature=shared

First off, you can't just go by the eye test. You gotta factor everything in to the equation. Eye test + stats/production + age + level of competition they're facing + size/physical attributes + intangibles (basketball IQ, maturity, work ethic, etc.)

In the case of Topic, his production in one of the better pro leagues in the world at such a young age while having good positional size (a 6'6" PG with a reported 7'0" wingspan) is enough to put him in the top 10 (probably top 5) discussions, especially in a weaker draft class. I mean, the only other prospect from recent drafts who have had this type of combination of positional size, production in a top pro league at age 18 was Doncic, Sengun, perhaps Giddey and perhaps Lamelo.

Topic is at 18.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 4 RPG and 1 SPG, playing in one of the world's top pro leagues, vs grown men (same league and same team Jokic played for). Topic was MVP of the 2023 FIBA U18 championship, leading Serbia to gold medal. And he was MVP of ANGT Next Generation tournament (Spring 2023), had a 49 point game in the tournament.

If you want to nitpick his game and/or his physical attributes, go ahead. But he's a top 10 pick. And any nitpicking you do should just result in trying to figure out whether he's ranked 1, 5, 10 or 4, etc.

Basically 100% of players with this type of positional size, production in such a tough pro league at such a young age have returned top 10 value.

Not to mention Topic is a very cerebral, high IQ, high feel player who clearly has a very good work ethic.

Secondly, he's Probably the best passer in the draft. And it's not just making flashy passes, but it's also the vision, the timing, the placement, the touch he puts on his passes, and how functional they are - he's not just hunting assists or making fancy passes - he's making them when running PnR (which translates to the NBA since that's a very prevalent play type in the NBA), he makes really good hit-ahead passes to get his team in scoring position before the defense gets set, etc.

Read on Twitter

His defense isn't that bad. He's not a great defender but he holds his own and relentlessly forced turnovers this past summer at the FIBA U18 tournament..

[FarBeyondDriven]

His shooting and the fact that so much of his height is neck and not actual functional height, is worrisome. At least as it pertains to being the first PG off the board and in the mix for a top 10 pick. I'm not convinced scouts will love his shooting and lack of athleticism no matter how smart and skilled he is. My guess is that unless teams believe he can become a plus three point shooter that he'll be near the end of the lottery at best. If I was convinced he could be even an average three point shooter I'd have him locked in the top 5 or so. I'm afraid I'll need to see him on the floor with NBA athletes before I can really fully evaluate him. Let's hope he is at the combine and playing games there.

[Colbinii]

I just can't see a possibility where this kid falls outside of the Top 5.

Elite Passer
Good Finisher
Excellent Athlete -- Top Tier Speed, Change of Direction for his size is great, very Quick

He is going to a league where there is far more spacing on offense, offensive players are allowed to do more with the ball and his traits will all be amplified in the NBA.

He is one of the only players I have seen so far who have the ceiling of a Heliocentric, Offensive Star. That's the #1 mold teams are looking at with the #1 pick unless someone like Victor Wembanyama is in the draft.

Teams like San Antonio or Washington are perfect fits for Topic.

[Frichuela]

I just can't see a possibility where this kid falls outside of the Top 5.

Elite Passer
Good Finisher
Excellent Athlete -- Top Tier Speed, Change of Direction for his size is great, very Quick

He is going to a league where there is far more spacing on offense, offensive players are allowed to do more with the ball and his traits will all be amplified in the NBA.

He is one of the only players I have seen so far who have the ceiling of a Heliocentric, Offensive Star. That's the #1 mold teams are looking at with the #1 pick unless someone like Victor Wembanyama is in the draft.

Teams like San Antonio or Washington are perfect fits for Topic.

I see your thinking there. However, I have my doubts Topic is an "excellent athlete". He plays below the rim and I could see him getting frequently blocked at the NBA level. Is there any footage of him even dunking the ball? I have not seen a single dunk in any of his videos online.

[Colbinii]

I just can't see a possibility where this kid falls outside of the Top 5.

Elite Passer
Good Finisher
Excellent Athlete -- Top Tier Speed, Change of Direction for his size is great, very Quick

He is going to a league where there is far more spacing on offense, offensive players are allowed to do more with the ball and his traits will all be amplified in the NBA.

He is one of the only players I have seen so far who have the ceiling of a Heliocentric, Offensive Star. That's the #1 mold teams are looking at with the #1 pick unless someone like Victor Wembanyama is in the draft.

Teams like San Antonio or Washington are perfect fits for Topic.

I see your thinking there. However, I have my doubts Topic is an "excellent athlete". He plays below the rim and I could see him getting frequently blocked at the NBA level. Is there any footage of him even dunking the ball? I have not seen a single dunk in any of his videos online.

Haliburton and Doncic hardly dunk either

[clyde21]

His shooting and the fact that so much of his height is neck and not actual functional height, is worrisome.

was just coming in to say this as im starting to watch the guy

listed at 6-6 but he's functionally really 6-4 b/c of the long neck, shooting numbers don't look too great, on the surface don't see what separates him from say Josh Giddey but shorter...but i obviously need to watch more

[Colbinii]

His shooting and the fact that so much of his height is neck and not actual functional height, is worrisome.

was just coming in to say this as im starting to watch the guy

listed at 6-6 but he's functionally really 6-4 b/c of the long neck, shooting numbers don't look too great, on the surface don't see what separates him from say Josh Giddey but shorter...but i obviously need to watch more

He plays with much more pace than Giddey and is quicker/faster in the open court.

If his neck is so long, is his Wingspan really 7'?

[clyde21]

His shooting and the fact that so much of his height is neck and not actual functional height, is worrisome.

was just coming in to say this as im starting to watch the guy

listed at 6-6 but he's functionally really 6-4 b/c of the long neck, shooting numbers don't look too great, on the surface don't see what separates him from say Josh Giddey but shorter...but i obviously need to watch more

He plays with much more pace than Giddey and is quicker/faster in the open court.

If his neck is so long, is his Wingspan really 7'?

very long neck, at least two inches of height is in his neck lol

[clyde21]

for comparison the guy next to him on the right probably clocks in at 6-3 or 6-4 but has higher shoulders than Topic

[tester551]

His shooting and the fact that so much of his height is neck and not actual functional height, is worrisome.

was just coming in to say this as im starting to watch the guy

listed at 6-6 but he's functionally really 6-4 b/c of the long neck, shooting numbers don't look too great, on the surface don't see what separates him from say Josh Giddey but shorter...but i obviously need to watch more

Giddey is actually a good comp from the video that I've seen of him.

I actually think Giddey might be a higher end (say 80% of the player Topic could possibly be). The mean outcome would be a little less impactful Giddey.

[Colbinii]

His shooting and the fact that so much of his height is neck and not actual functional height, is worrisome.

was just coming in to say this as im starting to watch the guy

listed at 6-6 but he's functionally really 6-4 b/c of the long neck, shooting numbers don't look too great, on the surface don't see what separates him from say Josh Giddey but shorter...but i obviously need to watch more

Giddey is actually a good comp from the video that I've seen of him.

I actually think Giddey might be a higher end (say 80% of the player Topic could possibly be). The mean outcome would be a little less impactful Giddey.

Giddey is already a horrific NBA Player. Less Impactful Giddey isn't an NBA Player.

[tester551]

was just coming in to say this as im starting to watch the guy

listed at 6-6 but he's functionally really 6-4 b/c of the long neck, shooting numbers don't look too great, on the surface don't see what separates him from say Josh Giddey but shorter...but i obviously need to watch more

Giddey is actually a good comp from the video that I've seen of him.

I actually think Giddey might be a higher end (say 80% of the player Topic could possibly be). The mean outcome would be a little less impactful Giddey.

Giddey is already a horrific NBA Player. Less Impactful Giddey isn't an NBA Player.

Exactly.

[lambchop]

His shooting and the fact that so much of his height is neck and not actual functional height, is worrisome.

was just coming in to say this as im starting to watch the guy

listed at 6-6 but he's functionally really 6-4 b/c of the long neck, shooting numbers don't look too great, on the surface don't see what separates him from say Josh Giddey but shorter...but i obviously need to watch more

He plays with much more pace than Giddey and is quicker/faster in the open court.

If his neck is so long, is his Wingspan really 7'?

Yea, he really is very fast in the open court, at least for euro standards. He doesn't have crafty dribble moves, but he simply runs by people and has an explosive first step too. His coast to coast layup is around the 02:25 mark of the video. There's another where he simply goes 1 on 5 in an ABA game, but I can't find it.

Watch on YouTube

The neck observation is interesting. I think it's what's enabling him to see the floor well and be a nice passer, but probably limits his ability finish on people close to the basket and makes him less intimidating on defense compared to a normal defender his height. But, yea, if I took a truly elite passer, like CP3, and make his neck inches longer, it would definitely make his court vision even more formidable, so there's no denying it's still functional in that regard, but in others probably not as much.

I don't see generational upside with him, despite him probably being the best player his age in Europe, because he has no mid range game at all, no floaters and doesn't post up smaller players. Those are all things someone like Luka already had at that age.

Just cause he's Serbian I feel as though they'll get his shooting right eventually.

[Colbinii]

Giddey is actually a good comp from the video that I've seen of him.

I actually think Giddey might be a higher end (say 80% of the player Topic could possibly be). The mean outcome would be a little less impactful Giddey.

Giddey is already a horrific NBA Player. Less Impactful Giddey isn't an NBA Player.

Exactly.

But Topic is a much better finisher and much faster/quicker.

[babyjax13]

Topic also does an excellent job manipulating the back line of the defense. He isn't just getting by his man, etc. but doing some things that guys like Haliburton, Paul, and Rubio could do. That still leaves a pretty wide range of outcomes. I also do not like the shot, it is the thing that holds me back from putting him over Sarr.

[crows2]

Topic is already a far better scorer than Giddey’s ever been.

[lambchop]

2nd EL game in the books for nikola.

Watch on YouTube

As I assumed earlier, I feel as though the lack of functional height definitely hurts him when finishing against more athletic guys like Caboclo or Smajlagic. He just goes into a semi mini hook kind of layup with little accuracy. That said, he can still see over the defense and makes nice passes, so it has no impact there at all.

I like his activity on defense. Got burned twice on a bad closeout and falling for a pump fake. I chalk that up to a lack of experience. He looked solid on the low post switches against Caboclo and at least was able to deter or delay the easy entry passes. Which shows that he has decent strength for his age. Overall, for a European player I'd say he's actually still very raw. A couple of summers of working on different finishes, shooting, floaters etc. could turn him into an awesome player, but only time will tell.

[BlazersBroncos]

I love his fit in SA. He is really good at running the PNR which would fit w/ Victor and they have on paper some youngsters that should cement a good defense moving forward - alleviating his meh'ness there.