2025-26 Thunder player grades: Nikola Topic

The calendar has flipped to August. Which means we're in the dog days of the NBA's year-round calendar. Little will happen over the next two months as teams across the league prepare for the 2026-27 season. Before we move on, though, let's reflect one last time on last year.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a league-best 64-18 regular-season record. Juggling injuries all year, they overcame notable absences all year. Alas, they fell short of a second NBA championship with a 2026 Western Conference Finals exit.

To reflect on their 2025-26 season, Thunder Wire will conduct player grades for all 20 players who suited up for them this past year. Fourteenth up is Nikola Topic, who has been limited in his first two seasons:

2025-26 statistics:

5.2 points

1.9 rebounds

4.4 assists

43.1% shooting

40.0% 3-point shooting

40.0% free-throw shooting

Advanced stats:

True-shooting percentage:  48.9%

Usage rate:  21.2%

Win shares:  0.0

VORP:  minus-0.3

Significant Percentile Finishes:

Transition scorer: 7.9 percentile

P&R ball-handler: 2.3 percentile

Spot-up scorer: 77.6 percentile

Contract:

2026-27:  $5.4 million

2027-28: $7.5 million (team option)

Thoughts:

Before we get into the basketball stuff, let's talk about Topic's grueling life journey just to even make his NBA debut. When the Thunder added him with the No. 12 pick of the 2024 NBA draft, they knew it came with a tax. He missed the entire 2024-25 season with a torn ACL. He earned the unique distinction of being the first player to win a ring before he even logged a minute.

While a torn ACL sucks from a basketball point of view, Topic's next setback was grim from a real-life aspect. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in Oct. 2025. I don't think I need to overexplain why that's a scary development for things that go beyond just his on-court career. He missed three months as he went through chemotherapy to get rid of it.

Thankfully, Topic beat his illness. He then spent a month ramping up in the G League. Finally, he made his NBA debut in one of the cooler moments of the regular season in OKC's final pre-All-Star break game. What an awesome moment that had been nearly two years in the making. The entire sports world cheered him on as he logged his first NBA stats after being a previous lottery pick.

After Topic beat out his cancer, the rest of his second year felt like house money. He played in 10 games. Most were in garbage time. He logged heavy minutes in OKC's final two regular-season games as it clinched the league-best record by that point. In that span, he had two double-doubles. Sure, there's the caveat that it was against pseudo-NBA talent. But those numbers are still a step in the right direction.

In the NBA playoffs, Topic seldom played. The Thunder obviously didn't want to put too much on his plate. Just him being active for those games is a celebration in itself considering how his previous nine months went. Now, he enters an incredibly important year for his NBA aspirations. He has two years left on his rookie-scale deal. In that time, he has to show something tangible. Potential can only buy you so much runway.

It's a little discouraging that you can't really form a sound opinion on Topic after two seasons. Of course, his durability concerns have gone beyond just your standard basketball injuries. But he had a torn ACL two summers ago and back surgery this summer. Those aren't the greatest signs for the 21-year-old. Still, he still has some runway left. And has shown enough flashes at both the NBA and G League level as a playmaker to warrant intrigue from the fanbase that he can still work out.

Moving Forward:

It's now or never for Topic. The NBA is a results-oriented business. You need to show something. Because of his injuries and illness, he's shown very little over two seasons. But that's in the past. Let's focus on the present and future. Right now, the Thunder will have plenty of minutes and possessions up for grabs. They spent the summer making cost-cutting moves. A handful of longtime role players said goodbye.

Because of that, Topic has an opening to get minutes. As well as the rest of OKC's third-stringers. He's gotta capitalize. The Thunder always need more playmakers. He'd fit the bill. The 21-year-old has carried himself with a lot of confidence in his limited NBA tape. He's willing to let it fly from deep and can get downhill. You don't have to worry about him being shy. He competes on defense and isn't afraid to voice instructions on offense when he has the ball in his hands.

It's now about his talent leveling up with his confidence. We'll see if Topic can get rotation minutes. But if he can, that's a start to turn around your narrative. And even if it doesn't work out in OKC, he has to show enough to stay in the NBA. A trade is always possible, but you need to drum up your trade interest to get teams to want you. Maybe his recent lottery status could buy him some cache, but he has to show real results as well.

It's a shame Topic hasn't taken off on the Thunder yet. Ajay Mitchell kinda usurped him as the backup guard. And even though the window is shrinking for him to be an OKC contributor, there's still a chance for him to work out. Albeit extremely small. But hey, there is a vacuum of shot attempts up for grabs. Somebody has to fill in for them. He's talented enough to be that guy.

Final Grade: C

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2025-26 Thunder player grades: Nikola Topic

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