Nikola Topic Could Play Key Role for OKC Thunder Amid Injuries

The Thunder's rookie point guard is already making an impact.

Oct 5, 2025; North Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic (44) lays up a shot against the Charlotte Hornets in the first quarter at North Charleston Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Arthur Ellis-Imagn Images | Arthur Ellis-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s heartwarming story could also include a great chapter on the court.

While the Thunder have been at the top of the NBA world over the past couple of seasons, one of their players has been going through some of the toughest battles any NBA player could endure. After coming into the league with a torn ACL and missing his first season, Nikola Topic’s preseason cancer diagnosis delayed his NBA debut yet again.

Coming into the season, there was plenty of uncertainty about whether Topic would even be able to make it on the court at any point this season. However, he was able to overcome the abundance of adversity thrown his way and made his debut for the Thunder against the Milwaukee Bucks just before the All-Star break.

In that matchup, he scored two points and added a rebound and an assist in 12 minutes of action. While the numbers don’t jump off the page, Topic’s mere presence on the floor was something to marvel.

Considering Topic’s journey since joining the Thunder, it would be more than understandable if the rest of the season was simply a tune-up period for him in the hopes of getting him ready to play next season. While that is more or less the case, his performance against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night showed that he might be ready to contribute already.

In Friday’s win, Topic tallied nine points, three rebounds and two assists and even picked up a flagrant foul along the way. While his conditioning will likely keep him from playing any extended stretches, his 11 minutes against the Nets showed that he can be a solid ball-handling presence for roughly a quarter of the game, which is huge as Oklahoma City will miss Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell for a bit longer.

Alongside Jared McCain, Topic is a new infusion of ball handling and playmaking that could be just enough to lift the Thunder over some of their tough upcoming opponents. While Topic has also tallied three turnovers in each game and been up and down defensively, those are nothing more than typical growing pains for a rookie guard, particularly one who had to wait a season and a half after he was drafted to even get on the floor.

Whether Topic is in the rotation in this upcoming stretch is yet to be determined, but it’s clear that Mark Daigneault has an extra option at guard, at least while the injury report continues to look the way it does now.