Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti hinted that Nikola Topić will have the opportunity to compete for minutes after missing last season with a knee injury.

Topić was the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA draft after playing with Crvena zvezda in the ABA League. He was sidelined all of last year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left ACL suffered while playing in the ABA League Finals on May 13, 2024.

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Thunder coach Mark Daigneault will be tasked with formulating a plan to integrate Topić into the rotation as the team looks to defend its title. Presti stated on Thursday that the team will enter training camp with an open mind regarding playing time for Topić and the rest of the roster.

We come into every year as a blank canvas, and if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have discovered or figured out a lot of different ways to win. … I think for us, we don’t come in and say, ‘Well, this is established.’ We’re saying, ‘How can this get better?’ … With respect to Topić, we just have to see where he is, how the team performs, where the combinations are, and give that some time and not overreact if things are not smooth immediately, with any players specifically, because the team is the sixth-youngest team in the league still. There is still going to be a ton of growth within the team during the year, let alone what has been done in the offseason.

Topić debuted with the Thunder in the Salt Lake City Summer League in July, averaging 10.7 points, 4.3 assists, three rebounds and two steals in three appearances. He posted a similar average in three games in Las Vegas: 11 points, 7.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

The 6-foot-6 guard also spent time with Serbia ahead of its run in EuroBasket 2025 last month, before he was cut from the final 12-man roster. That run, along with his showing in summer league, helped him continue to get back and prepare for his first healthy season in the NBA.

The Thunder were ecstatic to add Topić to the roster last year and will be eager to see how he can help make an impact on the court. He may face an uphill battle to carve out a consistent role initially, but he projects to eventually have the chance to contribute nightly.

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Note: Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire contributed to this story

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Thunder news: Sam Presti comments on potential role for Nikola Topić