NBA Rumors: 15 Bold but completely realistic predictions heading into 2024 NBA Draft

Nikola Topic will fall out of the lottery

At one point during this pre-draft season, Nikola Topic was considered a prospect that could be taken in the top 5. However, because of inconsistency this season and injuries, there's a growing belief that he could fall down the draft boards. I predict that will continue to be a trend heading into the NBA Draft night, to the extent that he will fall out of the lottery. I'm not sure how much he will fall but I expect Topic to emerge as a potential steal for a team outside the top 14. There's going to be a team outside the lottery that is going to have a great opportunity to land a really good player and a potential star down the line.

In one of ESPN's latest NBA Mock Drafts, Topic is mocked at No. 12 overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That speaks to the narrative that Topic is indeed falling down draft boards.

The true concern for Topic when it comes to his draft status is his partially torn ACL. Until the full medical report comes back on that, it's only natural for Topic to continue to fall down the draft board.