Mark Daigneault gives his take on the plans for Nikola Topic moving forward

The Oklahoma City Thunder have waited a long time since Nikola Topic played basketball. The Serbian guard was drafted 12th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he tore his ACL. That caused him to miss the entirety of his rookie season.

Before making his debut in the 2025-26 season, Topic was dealt another blow, as he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After many bouts with chemotherapy, Topic pulled through and is now playing basketball again.

Daigneault gives his take on the Thunder's plans for Topic

In his debut performance for the Thunder, Topic played 12 minutes. He only had two points, a rebound, and an assist, but he was impressive. Topic was quite natural with how he adapted to NBA game speed.

Considering he is coming off both an ACL tear and a bout with cancer, that is one of the most impressive things any athlete can do. Moving forward, Topic could figure into the team's plans this season.

MORE: Thunder's No. 12 pick from 2024 draft available to make NBA debut Thursday, after cancer battle and torn ACL

Now that Topic has returned, he is a potential boost for the Thunder. Considering that he is one of the most talented youngsters from just a year ago, Topic could perform on a more consistent basis.

"From a performance standpoint, he's in the infancy stages of returning to full game shape. What chemotherapy does to your body is really remarkable. It's crazy what it does to you physically. The road back from that is different for everybody," Daigneault said about the plans for Topic moving forward.

In the long run, Topic could be the point guard they need to back up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the meantime, they would need to be careful with how they re-integrate Topic.

He has barely played high-level basketball for almost two years. Now that he is back, he is raring to go, but Daigneault, the coaching staff, and the front office would want to remain careful.

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