By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that Nikola Topic underwent a testicular procedure on Monday. The 20-year-old Serbian point guard will be reevaluated in four to six weeks.
With momentum stretching from a solid offseason to additional excitement during the NBA Preseason 2025, Topic was heading to a significant role in the 2025-26 Regular Season, but was instead forced to the injury list. It remains unclear whether the latest setback will further impact his playing status upon being medically cleared. Nevertheless, the defending champions feature a crowded backcourt, headlined by the Most Valuable Player of the 2025 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The promising prospect, a 12th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft presented by State Farm, Topic previously missed his entire rookie season. Therefore, he has yet to play in an official NBA game. Suffering a knee injury in 2024, at the bottom end of his spell with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, led to surgery on his torn ACL and to the sidelines through the 2024-25 season.
Also on Monday, the Thunder fell to the Dallas Mavericks, 106-89, in Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena. Besides Topic, fellow European guard, Belgian Ajay Mitchell, was left off the lineup due to an ankle injury in the preseason opener on Sunday, and German Isaiah Hartenstein remained out. In contrast, French Ousmane Dieng went for 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals as a starter, while Dutch Malevy Leons came off the bench with five points, four rebounds, and two steals.