Projected NBA lottery pick Nikola Topić has a partially torn ACL in his left knee.
Topić’s agent Miško Ražnatović confirmed the diagnosis to ESPN on Wednesday. Topić, 18, was a projected top-five pick prior to the news of his injury. Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek dropped him from No. 4 to No. 11 in her latest mock draft upon prior news that he had an undefined knee injury.
It’s not clear how the news of his ACL tear will impact his standing in the June 26 draft. Considering Topić’s youth and long-term upside, the injury may not cause him to fall out of the lottery.
A knee injury in January initially sidelined Topić for three months. He returned to action for the Adriatic League’s Red Star Belgrade in April and played three games before reinjuring his knee. Now it’s been revealed that the injury is an ACL tear.
A 6-6 point guard, Topić has the upside of a high-level playmaker with plus size in the NBA. In 12 games with Serbia‘s Mega MIS this season, Topić averaged 18.4 points, 7.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and one steal per game while shooting 52.3% from the field, 85.5% from the free-throw line and 25.9% from 3.
News of Topić’s injury was revealed after he underwent a medical exam at the NBA draft combine in Treviso, Italy. Per ESPN, he’ll next travel to the U.S. for further evaluation by NBA team doctors, who will advise him on his next course of action, which may include surgery.
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