The OKC Thunder had quite a successful offseason and already appear set to steamroll their way through this year's preseason.
Yet, they still find themselves approaching October 21's tip-off suffering from two major losses, as it seems, just like last year, the ball club will be coming into the regular season at sub-full strength.
First, it was announced on September 29 that Kenrich Williams would be undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and is expected to be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.
Now, as of Monday afternoon, it has been reported that rookie guard Nikola Topic will be joining him on the sidelines for the duration of training camp and into the early stages of the regular season, as he underwent a testicular procedure and is set to be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
Nikola Topic injury news biggest blow yet to Thunder this preseason
Topic, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, was redshirted for the entirety of the 2024-25 season due to a torn ACL.
Following a full year of rehabilitation, excitement over finally seeing the lottery talent take to the hardwood in Thunder threads was rising with every passing day.
From his teammates heaping praise upon his on-court abilities throughout the summer to Topic himself passing the eye-test of admiring fans during both Summer League play and in Sunday's preseason opener, the expectation was that the 20-year-old could find himself pushing for a consistent role within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation in 2025-26.
Now, with him slated to be sidelined for a minimum of a month, the valuable on-court run and reps he would have received en route to trying to achieve core player status right from the jump have officially been dashed.
Not only is this a gut punch for Topic, but also for the Thunder as a whole, as Daigneault has consistently praised the young guard for his positional versatility and for possessing "maturity and awareness beyond his years."
Fortunately, Oklahoma City does have enough depth at the guard position to make up for the Serbian stud's absence. His injury could also be seen as a positive for Ajay Mitchell and his pursuit of a larger role heading into year two of his career.
However, after the injury-plagued campaign the Thunder just endured, the fact that they're coming into this season with two players already shelved (both of whom were ruled out at this point last year as well) is far from an ideal scenario.