Nikola Topic has been building hype after 3 monster Adriatic League games to start the season where he averaged 24.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 4.7 turnovers on a hyper-efficient 68.6% TS.
I still really like his offense, but concerned about his D. Turns out he has a 6'7 wingspan, and his rebound and steal rates are underwhelming in Adriatic.
His D also didn't look good from the little I have watched, so I would be worried he is going to be something like -2 defense on average.
That said, still has upside to be best offensive player in the NBA if his 3P Shooting catches up to hit FT%. So I'd still take him #1 in this horrible class. But in a stronger year, not sure I would take him top 5.
Will be a solid - on defense for awhile, maybe at best can get below average.. I go back & forth on the shot , but I lean more toward it *can* get better overtime. I right now likened him to a Josh Giddey with way better slashing ability . Though will ask you this the over-reliance on crafty layups , but having a small wingspan does that concern you? Far as finishing goes?
Not too worried about dimensions for his finishing ability. He still has good size for a PG.
The shooting is also a point that is a bit foggy. FT% is awesome, 3P% not so much. I think he is definitely a better shooter + scorer than Giddey, but smaller and not as good at passing.
Overall would expect him to be better than Giddey because he has a few more dimensions to work with offensively. But if he never develops a decent 3 ball, could be a high friction guy who doesn't fit too well in NBA 1st units similar to Giddey.
I havent seen many predraft stats on TP. Topic is similar in terms of being able to penetrate and finish at a high rate.
But otherwise he seems better than TP. He’s bigger, seems better at passing, and has a chance of developing into an elite 3 point shooter which TP never offered at all.
He may have more turnover issues than TP but his creation is so otherwise efficient it probably isn’t a huge deal.
He has #1 pretty much locked up in my mind. Nobody else is close.
Social media is too addictive, I'm not going to create any new accounts. Part of me is rooting for Elon to run twitter into the ground so I can be free of all social media.
How do you feel about Topic now?
I still really like his offense, but concerned about his D. Turns out he has a 6'7 wingspan, and his rebound and steal rates are underwhelming in Adriatic.
His D also didn't look good from the little I have watched, so I would be worried he is going to be something like -2 defense on average.
That said, still has upside to be best offensive player in the NBA if his 3P Shooting catches up to hit FT%. So I'd still take him #1 in this horrible class. But in a stronger year, not sure I would take him top 5.
Will be a solid - on defense for awhile, maybe at best can get below average.. I go back & forth on the shot , but I lean more toward it *can* get better overtime. I right now likened him to a Josh Giddey with way better slashing ability . Though will ask you this the over-reliance on crafty layups , but having a small wingspan does that concern you? Far as finishing goes?
Not too worried about dimensions for his finishing ability. He still has good size for a PG.
The shooting is also a point that is a bit foggy. FT% is awesome, 3P% not so much. I think he is definitely a better shooter + scorer than Giddey, but smaller and not as good at passing.
Overall would expect him to be better than Giddey because he has a few more dimensions to work with offensively. But if he never develops a decent 3 ball, could be a high friction guy who doesn't fit too well in NBA 1st units similar to Giddey.
Spurs need a point guard and a wing next year and their picks are most likely going to be around 3 and 11. Do you take
1. Topic and Ryan Dunn
or
2. Risacher and Reed Sheppard
Topic and any of those other guys is fine. The only important part is to get Topic.
Thanks for this writeup! Do you think he compares to a bigger pre-draft Tony Parker from a stylistic and statistical standpoint?
I havent seen many predraft stats on TP. Topic is similar in terms of being able to penetrate and finish at a high rate.
But otherwise he seems better than TP. He’s bigger, seems better at passing, and has a chance of developing into an elite 3 point shooter which TP never offered at all.
He may have more turnover issues than TP but his creation is so otherwise efficient it probably isn’t a huge deal.
How has he been doing the last month? Is he #1 for you if the draft was held tomorrow?
Also, I deleted twitter. Please join bluesky.
He has #1 pretty much locked up in my mind. Nobody else is close.
Social media is too addictive, I'm not going to create any new accounts. Part of me is rooting for Elon to run twitter into the ground so I can be free of all social media.