This is a continuation of something I posted a week ago, an opinion piece on prospect scouting of playmakers where I talked about some general draft stuff, but also said I wasn't a huge fan of Nikola Topic. I'm not fully clawing that opinion back, but I do wanna give Topic some credit for his recent play. He just came back from an injury and showed me a couple things I wasn't seeing before. Also, when I was doing my most recent mock draft, his particular fit with the Washington Wizards intrigued me.
As far as his play goes- he showed some more off-ball play, and I think I was able to see his playmaking processing more in action there. I liked seeing his processing speed without the ball in his hands, and his knack for playmaking much later into the shot clock, or improving after a blown up possessions or an offensive rebound. I also loved that he clearly gets pissed off when he passes the ball to a teammate and they hesitate or don't shoot it- shows that he knows exactly what he's trying to achieve as a playmaker. Not just passing it to pass it. Coming back from an injury, it's a plus that his overall game looks very similar to what it was before. A good sign of his physicality for his position.
I still don't necessarily buy that he'll be able to get to his own shot very often in the NBA; I'm not seeing a great first step, and I don't know if he'll be able to create offensive edge/angle with his dribble drive. I'd like to see some creativity off the dribble, getting to, and finishing at the rim. He's also a bit loose with his shot gather. Another small thing, I think he jump passes a bit too much.
Overall, I wouldn't say my evaluation of him has changed an absurd amount, but I'm seeing bit of an increased ceiling compared to my previous thoughts on him. The floor has remained the same. More related to his draft stock, I realized he'd be a good fit on the Wizards. They have shooters all over that roster, they have an excellent veteran point guard in Tyus, and they have the proper gap for him to fill. He certainly won't be the first option, but Kuz and Poole aren't exactly guys who receive total deference on the floor. Topic would get the right role there, I feel. He'd also be a good long-term pick, given that the Wizards are probably looking to rebuild as a lottery team in the next couple years.
On the other hand, I see no fit for him on some of the other team lottery teams. Detroit, Charlotte, and Portland are obvious no's. Then there's Washington, who we just discussed. Then it's San Antonio, who aren't a totally horrible fit for him, but there are a couple reasons I don't think it's the best or most productive pick. Won't get into that here, it depends a lot on other factors. BUT, the Spurs are potentially looking at two lottery picks, so in that case, I could definitely see it. But yeah, this has been update on my Topic opinion.