Projected lottery pick Nikola Topić has been reportedly diagnosed with a partially torn ACL sustained while playing with Crvena zvezda, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Topić suffered the non-contact injury on May 13 against Partizan in Game 1 of the ABA League Finals and had to be helped off the court by teammates. He missed the remainder of the series and was diagnosed with a left knee sprain by team doctors.
The severity of the injury was revealed this week at a predraft camp for international prospects in Treviso, Italy. He is expected to travel to the United States soon to meet with doctors to determine the next step in his rehabilitation.
Raznatovic told ESPN he does not expect the injury to have a major impact on Topic's draft stock due to his youth and initial feedback from US doctors who have reviewed his MRIs.
"The doctors who checked the stability of the knee confirmed that is in excellent shape." https://t.co/ejyq7klLBt
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 5, 2024
Topić missed four months after suffering a ligament injury to the same knee earlier this season in January. He returned on April 22 and made four appearances before his latest setback, 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.
The 2024 NBA draft will take place June 26-27 in New York City.
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