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After being sidelined for the 2024-25 season and becoming the inaugural player to secure an NBA championship without stepping onto the court, Nikola Topic is now fit and ready to showcase his skills with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Making his debut in the 2025 Salt Lake City Summer League sponsored by America First Credit Union, the 19-year-old Serbian point guard scored 14 points and provided four assists. In his second appearance on Monday, he recorded 11 points, five assists, three steals, and three rebounds while playing nearly 28 minutes in a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, with a final score of 89-78.
“It feels great to be back after some time away from the game,” he said during a postgame press conference at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. “It’s a bit strange. I’m still acclimating to it.”
Although Topic had a challenging shooting night, hitting just 2 of 13 attempts and going 0 for 6 from three-point range, he acknowledged areas for improvement. “There were a lot of aspects I wasn’t happy with,” he said when asked about things he could enhance. “I’ll focus on each of those areas and improve.”
As the Salt Lake City Summer League comes to a close, the Thunder are set to face the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
“It’s all about finding a game rhythm,” Topic communicated his strategy leading into the 2024-25 Regular Season. “We’ll have back-to-back games, two games over two days, and six games in ten days, just to get into that game flow and condition.”
Ajay Mitchell, another starter from Belgium, led the team with 16 points on 3 of 11 shooting, also contributing five assists, five rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Dutch player Malevy Leons added six points, along with four rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
For the Sixers, Turkish player Adem Bona recorded four points, three rebounds, one block, and one assist, while Spanish player Izan Almansa also scored four points and grabbed three rebounds.
Photo Credit: YouTube
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