Potential Pistons Draft Pick Avoids Major Injury After Scare

As the 2024 NBA Draft Combine is underway over in Chicago, one of the most notable prospects in the player pool is competing overseas. Unfortunately, there was an injury scare involved.

Serbian guard Nikola Topic made headlines on Monday afternoon as the potential top-five pick suffered a lower-body injury during the Adriatic League finals.

He was slow to get up, and when he did, the young guard was helped back to the locker room after he struggled to put pressure on his knee.

The good news is that Topic is believed to have avoided a major injury. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the initial diagnosis revealed a sprained left knee.

While Topic is expected to miss the remainder of his current run with Crvena zvezda, he is expected to be a full participant in further NBA pre-draft activities next month.

Does Topic’s Setback Impact the Pistons?

The Pistons were widely expected to take one of Alex Sarr or Zaccharie Risacher in the 2024 NBA Draft. As the Pistons had high odds of landing a top-two pick, they were likely to land one or the other.

At this point, the Pistons’ potential first pick has become a mystery, considering they landed the fifth-overall pick. While they could be in a position to take on Topic since they are slightly further back, the point guard position isn’t one they need.

Either way, Detroit should be looking to draft the best player available. Topic will be a name to keep an eye on, as he’s been a top-ten prospect since the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season.

In ABA play, Topic averaged 18 points and seven assists while knocking down 52 percent of his shots.