Nikola Topic has dealt with two knee injuries this past season, but it didn't stop scouts from placing the Serbian youngster high on NBA Draft boards. The 18-year-old was widely considered a top 10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and had the chance of going as high as No. 1 to the Hawks.
Topics stock may now change, however.
A recent medical examination at the NBA Draft Combine in Italy revealed Topic partially tore his left ACL — the same knee he had injured during the season, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
NBA teams selecting in the top 15 of the draft will receive Topic's medical and make adjustments to their big boards accordingly.
Here's the latest on Topic's injury status and draft stock.
MORE: SN Kyle Irving's latest NBA Mock Draft has Topic at No. 2 overall
What is Nikola Topic's injury?
Topic suffered a left knee injury in January after transferring from Mega MIS to Red Star Belgrade.
The Serbian prospect sat out for four months and returned for three games before Game 1 of the Adriatic League Finals. He almost immediately re-injured his left knee. It was later revealed at the NBA Draft Combine in Italy that Topic suffered a partially torn ACL.
Topic will travel to the United States for the NBA Draft and be evaluated by NBA doctors prior to the event in late June.
MORE: Sporting News ranks the top prospects in the 2024 NBA Draft
How long is Nikola Topic out?
Topic's recovery timeline hasn't been determined yet. It's a partial tear, which certainly should take less recovery time than a full tear. That said, he's had this same knee injured since January.
Scouts knew of Topic's knee problems over the past couple of months, but the new revelation is the partially torn ACL. He told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine in Italy that he wasn't 100 percent yet.
"I haven't started running or practicing with the basketball," he said. "I'm focusing on rehab, on my body and knee."
Nikola Topic at the NBA Draft Combine in Treviso, Italy, when asked about his knee injury:
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 4, 2024
"I'm not 100% healed. I haven't started running or practicing with the basketball. I'm focusing on rehab, on my body and knee." pic.twitter.com/xL0JsMzkPy
The severity of the ACL tear will likely be determined when Topic meets with NBA doctors ahead of the NBA Draft later this month.
Nikola Topic's draft stock
The 2024 NBA Draft is considered a weaker class in comparison to recent years. There isn't a clear-cut No. 1 pick, and Topic certainly benefitted from that.
The 18-year-old is expected to land in the top 10, but he could go as high as No. 1. The Sporting News' Kyle Irving has the Wizards selecting Topic at No. 2 in his latest NBA mock draft. Irving also ranked Topic second on his big board.
Despite uncovering Topic's ACL tear, his agent Misko Raznatovic doesn't believe it will affect his draft stock, citing Topic's youth and doctors' initial opinions.
"The doctors who checked the stability of the knee confirmed that is in excellent shape," Raznatovic told ESPN.
Whether that holds true will likely be determined once more doctors can examine the prospect in the United States.
It's not unheard of for a top pick to slide due to injury. Nerlens Noel slid in the 2013 draft after suffering a full ACL tear, and Michael Porter Jr. fell to No. 14 in 2018 due to a back injury.
