The Oklahoma City Thunder received another papercut. They couldn’t get past training camp and preseason without a bundle of small injuries. That latest happened on Monday. They announced that Nikola Topic underwent testicular surgery. He will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
That means Topic’s NBA debut will be further delayed. He will miss around the first 15 games of the 2025-26 regular season. Kenrich Williams and Thomas Sorber will also be out.
This is the latest road bump for Topic. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL. That helped the Thunder add him with the No. 12 pick of the 2024 NBA draft. He finally suited up in the 2025 Summer League and the first preseason game before this new setback.
Now that Topic is out for around the first month of the 2025-26 regular season, that opens up a vacuum of minutes. Here are four Thunder players who could take advantage of his absence:
Ajay Mitchell
This is the obvious one. Even though the Thunder dominated the league last season, there was a clear hole in their backup point guard spot. That led to an inconsistent offense that fell apart in the halfcourt when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams were off the floor. They hoped internal development could solve that problem.
Mitchell and Topic entered training camp in a battle for backup point guard minutes. It looks like the former has won for now. The 23-year-old had a hot start to his rookie season before a toe injury sidelined him for three months. He helped run the offense and could drive to the basket. He looks more NBA-ready to help.
Cason Wallace
There’s still hope Wallace can take a playmaking leap. He’s been one of the better 3-and-D players in his first two seasons. He was a quasi-starter for two title contenders. The Thunder liked what he brought to the table so much that they made the controversial decision to start him in the 2025 NBA Finals.
That said, Wallace has room to grow as a ball-handler. The 21-year-old is young enough to have a ginormous Year 3 leap. And the Thunder want to give him the trampoline to do that. If he can look more comfortable running the offense, that increases his ceiling.
Isaiah Joe
A forgettable playoff run shouldn’t erase Joe’s career season. He averaged 10.2 points and shot 41.2% from 3 on 6.3 attempts last season. The only other players who put up similar numbers last season were high-volume outside shooters who are always in high demand. You can’t ignore that production just because he struggled in the playoffs.
You always need players to help in the regular season. It’s a marathon, after all. Joe has been one of the best outside shooters since he arrived in OKC. His two-man game with Isaiah Hartenstein has added a new wrinkle to their offense. He will have the chance to grow this upcoming season.
Brooks Barnhizer
While the Thunder haven’t had any impactful injuries yet, the quantity has opened up playing time for the end of their bench. That could help Barnhizer. The 23-year-old is buried on the depth chart, but could be relied upon to start the season with several players out. The two-way rookie could see some of his 50 games used up.
Even though Barnhizer is still an unproven shooter, his energy fits with the Thunder’s defensive personality. They love to play physical and force turnovers to blow games open. That’s how they broke the NBA record for biggest point differential at plus-12.9. He can help with that by being somebody else who could annoy the opposition.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 4 Thunder players who could take advantage of Nikola Topic’s absence
