NBA lottery pick Nikola Topić has a partially torn ACL in his left knee.
Topic’s agent, Misko Raznatovic. confirmed the diagnosis to ESPN On Wednesday. Topić, 18, was projected in the top five before the news of his injury. Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports dropped him from No. 4 to No. 11 in her latest mock draft following earlier news that he had an undefined knee injury.
It’s unclear how news of his torn ACL will affect his position in the June 26 draft. Considering Topić’s youth and his long-term potential, the injury may not keep him out of the lottery.
A knee injury in January initially kept Topić sidelined for three months. He returned to action with Red Star Belgrade of the Adriatic League in April and played three games before reinjuring his knee. The injury has now been revealed to be a torn ACL.
Topić, a 6-6 guard, has the advantage of being a high-level playmaker with plus size in the NBA. In 12 games with Serbia’s Mega MIS this season, Averaged Theme 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 the line three.
News of Topić’s injury was revealed after undergoing a medical examination at the NBA Draft Combine in Treviso, Italy. According to ESPN, he is next traveling to the US for further evaluation by the NBA team’s doctors, who will advise him on his next course of action which may include surgery.
