By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following a challenging and highly resilient start to his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nikola Topic is shifting his focus toward a vital offseason as he looks to put consecutive years of severe medical adversity behind him.
The 20-year-old Serbian point guard, selected 12th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, presented by State Farm, missed his entire first year recovering from a partially torn left ACL before facing a diagnosis of testicular cancer at the top of his 2025-26 journey. After completing successful chemotherapy treatments and a conditioning stint in the G League, he finally made his debut in February, ultimately appearing in 19 games between the Regular Season and the Playoffs, presented by Google.
During Sunday’s exit interviews, following the Thunder’s elimination, Topic expressed immense personal growth. “I learned a lot about myself. I didn’t know how tough I was, honestly. It wasn’t the best, but I’m grateful I went through those experiences. I grew from those experiences as well. And it made me a better person today. And I wouldn’t be here if those things didn’t happen. I’m looking forward to getting ready to play,” he mentioned.
Looking ahead, Topic emphasized the importance of the coming months. “I just want to have a good summer, good offseason. Summer League is coming up, and it’s going to be big for me, and obviously, after that, I’ll try to work very hard to go into the season healthy, and I hope that would be the case,” he stated.
While admitting that his physical conditioning is not yet at its peak, noting that it should be coming back in the next few weeks or months, the young guard remained incredibly proud to be a part of the organization. “Obviously, I’m very sad and very disappointed in how we ended our season, but I’m still really proud of this team and everybody here,” he said.
That sense of organizational pride and resilience was echoed by fellow second-year guard Ajay Mitchell. The 23-year-old Belgian put together a breakout campaign, averaging 14.4 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds across 68 appearances, including 11 playoff games. However, his season ended in disappointment after he was forced to miss the final four games of the Western Conference Finals due to a right calf strain. “It’s my first calf strain. So just going through it obviously, feeling better and better every day, but still got a lot of work to do to just be 100% healthy,” he noted.
Despite the injury woes that plagued the roster during the season, the Ans native praised the locker room’s mentality. “Really, really proud of the team, especially just throughout this year. I think there were a lot of injuries, a lot of things going on, and I think we handled it well. As we talked about before, we’re never going to look for excuses, and I think we were very resilient throughout the year, and that’s what really helped us to go through the Playoffs and be where we ended,” he remarked.
The offseason also brings structural uncertainty for some of the Thunder’s veteran presence, including 28-year-old starting center Isaiah Hartenstein. Addressing the looming team option on his contract for the 2026-27 season, he deferred the upcoming choices to the front office. “I love being here. I love the organization, but it’s a lot of it in in their hands, and then I think they and my agent will talk. I mean, it’s a business at the end of the day, but again, just whatever happens, I am truly grateful,” he said.
On the court, the German big proved his defensive worth during the Western Conference Finals, where he was tasked with checking dynamic Victor Wembanyama. Hartenstein expressed confidence in how he handled the matchup. “I think I did a good job,” he mentioned. “I think I got him most of the time to the stuff I wanted to get him to. I mean, there were some games where he was just making difficult shots, but in general, just looking through the video, I think I did a pretty good job of just limiting the stuff I wanted to limit.”
While the Thunder’s run came to an end, the 28-year-old center found a silver lining in watching his former team, the New York Knicks, advance to the NBA Finals. “Just being there with those guys, who we just came in, it’s just cool to see. I mean, I’d rather be playing against them, but just rooting for them right now,” he said. “There are a lot of guys I know. There are a lot of guys that I’m pretty close with, and so just happy for them.”
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 4-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109, 93-79, 116-94)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 4-3 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120, 110-112, 114-102)
New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 140-89)
Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-4 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 93-106, 100-109)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers 3-4 (111-101, 107-97, 109-116, 103-112, 113-117, 115-94, 94-125)
New York Knicks – Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 (137-98, 108-102, 108-94, 144-114)
Finals (best-of-seven)
New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 (115-104, 109-93, 121-108, 130-93)
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 4-2 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115, 93-99, 98-78)
Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 (108-90, 125-107, 131-108, 115-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2 (102-104, 133-95, 115-108, 109-114, 126-97, 139-109)
Finals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – San Antonio Spurs 3-4 (115-122, 122-113, 123-108, 82-103, 127-114, 91-118, 103-111)
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks
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