The Oklahoma City Thunder was a favorite to win the NBA Finals and did it without a marquee draft pick.
Entering the 2024-25 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder is expected to be one of the best teams in the NBA, and was not disappointed as they lost only four games in the Western Conference playoffs to play the NBA Finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP, Jalen Williams made an All-Star Game, Chet Holmgren is an elite young player, and Lu Dort and Alex Caruso are lockdown defenders.
They were able to post the league’s best record without Nicola Topic, the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The topic was Serbia’s 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He tore the ACL in an Adriatic League game in May and couldn’t fit this NBA season at all. Before his injury, he was promoted as one of the best prospects in the draft, with some expected to be his first pick.
However, his injuries defeated him and Thunder scooped him up, hoping he could return to 2025-26.
In his last healthy season, Topic averaged 18.4 points and 7.4 assists in the ABA megabasket, and was considered one of the best floor generals in the 2024 draft class. He is a great passerby, ball handler and efficient scorer within the arc.
His 24.7% mark from the European Deep suggests that there is a learning curve in the NBA, but he is crafty and can reach the rim and scores easily.
His biggest concern surrounds his health and defense, which he predicts to be average in the NBA. Still, topic is expected to join OKC players’ elite cores next season, potentially becoming a long-term running mate next to SGA, Holmglen and Williams, adding even more talent to the title favourites.
In 2022, the Thunder placed Holmglen second overall and suffered a foot injury shortly afterwards, locking him out throughout the season. He bouncing off and finished second to Victor Wenbagnama as this year’s rookie.
There is hope that the topic will follow a similar path.
OKC doesn’t lack backcourt talent on either side of the ball, but the topic was expected to be NBA-enabled from day one, with four seasons at some of Europe’s top clubs.
The 2024 NBA Draft was expected to be in a weaker class, even before topic injuries, but the Thunder will add some younger talent to virtually nothing next season. On top of that, OKC is linked to premier trade candidates like Giannis Antetokounmpo, boasting two first round picks in 2025.
Regardless of how the Thunder navigates the offseason, they will return to next season with an even better roster, and next year’s topic breakout should be the overlooked storyline of the year.