2024 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Hawks court chaos, Spurs speed up rebuild, Lakers surprise
By Cal Durrett
10) Utah Jazz-Nikola Topić
The fact that Nikola Topic is still likely to be selected in the top 10 shows just how good he is. Topic might not play next season in the NBA after tearing his ACL, the latest in a surprising long history of leg injuries for a teenage player. If that weren't concerning enough, despite being measured at 6'6, he actually has a 6'5 1/2 wingspan.
That negates some of his appeal and calls into question whether he can defend in the NBA. All that being said, the Jazz might still be wise to take him at 10, knowing that he would have potentially been a top-five pick had he not gotten injured. His skill as a passer is still top notch and he was terrific at blowing by his man, getting into the paint and finding the shooter for open shots.
He may not be able to do that as well in the NBA, especially with his injury and playing against better athletes but if Utah can help him shoot better from outside, then he could be a special offensive player. Thus, Utah should gamble on taking Topic.