Thunder got the number one overall pick without even winning the lottery

The OKC Thunder may have never landed the top slot in an NBA Draft, but currently suiting up for them in the Summer League is a player who is showing why he was a contender for the number one spot in his respective class before succumbing to injury.

Selected 12 overall in the 2024 draft, Nikola Topic was widely regarded as the best point guard prospect among his peers, and is proving such chatter to be right with his play this offseason.

In five games played with Oklahoma City's Summer League team, the 19-year-old finds himself serving as the defending champion's de facto floor general, constantly playing the role of handler in the pick-and-roll, finding the cutter on both fast breaks and drive-and-dish sets, and simply swinging the ball to keep the offense moving, often leading to uncredited hockey assists.

Topic's averages of 11.4 points, 5.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals may not blow anyone away on the surface, but the eye test suggests the Thunder may have actually pulled away from last year's festivities with the top prospect.

Nikola Topic playing like a top-billed prospect for Thunder

Nikola Topic's feel for the game appears to be as natural as anyone could have hoped. When referring to his clearly elite playmaking skills, the point guard told reporters, "I guess I'm just born with it."

The way in which he plays only further strengthens his strong comments, as his ability to find a teammate, even through the tightest of seams, is already giving off shades of Steve Nash and Thunder legend Chris Paul.

Prior to tearing his ACL in May of 2024 while playing with Crvena zvezda of the ABA, Topic was strongly in the running to be a top pick in that year's draft, with some arguing he could go as high as number one overall.

Of course, as a result of his knee injury, he slid all the way down to Oklahoma City at 12, where he would go on to redshirt the entire 2024-25 campaign a la Chet Holmgren during the year before.

While he may not have been able to show off his skills to fans and spectators in any in-game action throughout his debut season in the league, Topic's fellow teammates periodically shared snippets of just how awe-inspiring his potential as a player is.

Lu Dort was even found gushing over just how "comfortable" he had looked with the ball in his hands during the team's closed-door practice sessions.

In just five games during Summer League play, this comfort Dort was speaking of is as clear as day, and has played a massive role in his ability to not only quarterback the offense so effectively, but also to snap back from ongoing turnover blunders (something all young guards tend to struggle with).

While there are certainly areas in his game that the history-setting rookie still needs to shore up (ball security, long-range shooting, etc.), as things currently stand, Nikola Topic looks every bit the player advertised when heading into last year's NBA Draft.