Mark Daigneault Offers Injury Update on OKC Thunder First-Round Pick

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Nikola Topic in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft and he is sidelined the entire season due to a knee injury. Mark Daigneault offered an update on his rehab process.

Nikola Topic is pictured during the Thunder media day at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of a historic season. Its fourth quarter avalanche against the Memphis Grizzlies secured win No. 61, a franchise-best mark with nine games left in the regular season. Still, they have youngsters and draft picks on the way to pile on its already deepest roster in the league.

The OKC Thunder selected Nikola Topic with the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Topic was once thought of as a top five prospect in the class but his late-season ACL tear and the understanding he would need a red shirt season pushed him down draft boards.

Oklahoma City could afford to take a flyer on the raw talent and worry about getting the point guard on the hardwood later, the luxury of its depth was being able to red shirt the talented 19-year-old. Though, it is getting close to a year since the prospect suffered another knee injury and head coach Mark Daigneault was asked before Thursday's game against Memphis for an update on Topic's rehab process.

“He’s on track with everything he’s supposed to be doing on the timeline he’s on. He’s done a really impressive job of keeping his head down. As a basketball player, he’s gone a long time without playing games and that’s tough. Especially when you’re a rookie. You want to establish yourself in the NBA and test yourself with what translates and what doesn’t. He wants to start learning and he can’t when he’s not on the court. Despite that, he’s been consistent with his work. shown a great level of professionalism, maturity and work ethic. Through this time, very steady, both in his approach and mentally. He’s been very impressive in that way," Daigneault said.

The earliest Thunder fans can get a glimpse at Topic would potentially be in Summer League come July, but this update from Daigneault was a good sign in his progression.