The OKC Thunder boasted arguably the deepest roster the NBA had to offer last season.
From superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Swiss Army Knife role-playing big man Jaylin Williams, coach Mark Daigneault regularly rolled out 10-12 men into his nightly rotations during the 2024-25 campaign.
Ultimately, such an approach proved to be a true X-factor during their eventual title run.
Of course, though ample depth is clearly a boon when it comes to contention, it can serve as somewhat of a deterrent to player development. Sadly, we've already seen the likes of Ousmane Dieng and the recently departed Dillon Jones endure this adverse side effect of such a surface-level luxury.
Now, red-shirted rookie Nikola Topic finds himself heading into his debut season with this still stacked Thunder squad, just trying to make room for himself within their rather deep backcourt rotation.
Sadly, considering guys like Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Luguentz Dort, Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, and Ajay Mitchell are all slated to take up the lion's share of minutes at the guard position in 2025-26, this leaves very little wiggle room for the 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to come across extended action with the varsity team.
However, this isn't to say Topic is destined for dormancy during his first season in the association. In fact, there's still a pathway for him to see plenty of meaningful minutes throughout the year... down in the G League.
Nikola Topic should see ample minutes with Thunder G League team
Generally speaking, a lottery-selected talent being sent down to the development league may be viewed as a troubling matter. For someone like Topic, however, it may be a necessity -- and that's completely understandable.
Let's not forget that the last time the 19-year-old saw a lick of relevant in-game action was in May of 2024 before succumbing to a torn ACL while playing with Crvena zvezda.
After being sidelined for over a year, it's hard to envision the point guard being ready to jump right back into the swing of things and serve as a prominent, double-digit minutes participant for the Thunder. Based on his play with their Summer League club, it's safe to say he's currently not.
While he certainly did impress thanks to his elite court vision and stellar ability to step into passing lanes when on defense, there's still plenty of room for growth.
Whether it's his shooting efficiency (31.9 percent conversion rate from the floor) or ball control (committed 4.7 turnovers per game between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas-held exhibitions), Topic could stand to hone his craft a bit before being entrusted with a sizeable role in the defending champion's rotation.
Because of this, Topic seeing significant run with the OKC Blue could prove to be quite beneficial for both the youngster and, in the long run, hopefully the Thunder.