Nikola Topic, Nikola Durišić, Juan Nuñez, Ulrich Chomche
Brian breaks down the top prospects from Serbia, Spain and Cameroon. This includes guard Nikola Topic, guard Nikola Djurisic, guard Juan Nunez, and big Ulrich Chomche
We are going to be covering four prospects that can be relatively polarizing. Nikola Topic burst on the scene early in the year. Nikola Durišić came on really late in the year. Juan Nuñez has had rock solid stock all season, and Ulrich Chomche came in midway through the year as NBA Academy Africa played in the Africa League, where he dominated but was polarizing in opinion. So let’s break them down.
Nikola Topic/KK Mega Bemax/Crvena Zvezda
Altan Gocher / Middle East Images
Nikola Topic took the drafting community by storm early in the season as he started to play for KK Mega in the Adriatic League. He was starting and putting up some monster numbers as a big 6’6 starting PG. He became a bit of a polarizing prospect as the season progressed. In late December, he agreed to leave his team, and go play for Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) which was the best team in the league. There he played a total of 7 games and came off the bench and was mentored by European great Milos Teodosic. He sustained 2 knee injuries while with Red Star which has since been diagnosed as a partially torn ACL. This will massively impact his draft stock.
Personal Opinion
I want to start off with the player comparisons I put. He’s a tough player to comp because of his size. Imagine Dragic and Micic if they were his height and that’s how I view those players as comps. Now, Topic might actually be taller than 6’6 too. Now, I’ve been way lower on Topic during most of the draft cycle. When he started to play more off the ball, I started to feel a bit better about the floor. He needs to improve defensively, but I feel better than it being an all or nothing. The shooting is interesting. In previous seasons, he’s shot it better than he did this season. The problem is how low the sample size is this season. Last season while playing worse competition, he shot 37% from 3 in 37 games. The FT percentage is good both years. I’m not sold on him being a starter, but he very well could be an all star. Goran Dragic was an All star if people remember. The floor is still pretty scary.
Now, I was big on Killian Hayes. I had him at 2 in 2020. Clearly that was a mistake, but the shooting is similar to what Topic has. It’s not the same, but it's the same ballpark. On top of that, I had Josh Giddey at 5 in 2021. I still think my process was correct, it's just Josh hasn’t shown an ability to shoot consistently yet, but he’s still a solid player. I think the defense from Topic is a lot worse than both of them. Now Topic is in theory, a better scorer.
Fantasy
Topic has a pretty friendly fantasy game. He can pass, he’s efficient and there will be games where he will score. I think he could be a top 50 player, maybe top 30 if everything goes right. He also has a really scary floor. Depending on where he goes, will dictate where he goes in dynasty leagues in the off-season.
If Nikola fails in the league, Why?
The shooting doesn’t translate and he’s essentially a worse version of Josh Giddey. He can’t get by NBA defenders as easily and so he struggles to score. The lack of defense could limit him too.
Link to Tankathon (This comparison is really interesting if you want to see more info)
The thing that stands out is how Topic is the best shooter out of this group. He was one of the best passers and scorers out of this group. Keep in mind that that Tyreke Evans played for the University of Memphis and that Josh Giddey played in the NBL, so they would have had different numbers than this. However, this is really eye opening. The defense is worse, but it's interesting for sure. Dragic’s numbers were from a 13 game sample, and topic had a 23 game sample, which were the two lowest. It’s something to note for sure.
Big Performance Highlights
27 Pts, 6 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 To, 6-9 FG, 3-4 3PT, 12-12 FT
This was an absolute monster game from Topic and really when he started to gain buzz. From a fantasy perspective, this game is ridiculous. Topic was a +12 in the 10 point win. Rock solid game at Mega.
8 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 To, 3-7 FG, 2-3 3PT
This was his best game at Red Star. He came off the bench and played in a playoff game against his former team. This game was a huge blowout very quickly, so Topic was a +21 in this game, but it doesn’t matter a ton. Makes you realize the difference between those two teams.
Nikola Durišić/KK Mega
Photo: ABA League j.t.d/Dragana Stjepanovic
Nikola Đurišić has been around the draft space for a couple seasons now. He declared last season but decided to withdraw. He really struggled to start the season as Nikola Topic was handling the ball most of the time. After Topic went to Red Star, Djurisic started to get more comfortable and then really went on a heater that has spiked his draft stock to where it's the highest it's been all season. He’s interesting, but there are some warts to his game.
Personal Opinion
Nikola Đurišić isn’t my type of player. He’s good with the ball in his hands, but is he good enough to have it in the NBA? I don’t really think so. His defense is really bad. The turnovers and fouls don’t help his case. He still has an option to stay in the draft. If I'm GM of a team and I want him. I need to see improvements before I bring him over to the US. I still have him as draftable, but he’s not a priority addition for me.
Fantasy
The appeal will come from the playmaking and the free throw rate. As long as there isn’t a regression from the free throw line, Đurišić could be a positive there. The other issue is that if he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, what does he do?
If Nikola fails in the league, Why?
His lack of defensive techniques hold him back. The lack of a jump shot could hinder Đurišić from being a solid role player in the league, and he could be out of the league very quickly.
Link to Tankathon
Đurišić is not the shooter that these guys are, but that’s the problem. He can get to the rim and that’s great, but does that matter? Musa did to a good level too and he barely played in the league. I don’t think it would be an insane outcome if Đurišić has a similar career. Bogdan is like a best case scenario for Đurišić. Bogdanovic still came over a lot later and developed overseas. I still think Hezonja could have been a good player if he was drafted later with less pressure. He’s playing well overseas though.
Big Performance Highlights
31 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 To, 10-18 FG, 5-8 3PT, 6-6 FT
Đurišić was a monster in this game as he was on fire and took over the game. The 5 turnovers weren’t great, but they wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for him. They won by 14 points and Đurišić was a +19 which was the highest on the team.
26 Pts, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 To, 8-15 FG, 1-2 3PT, 9-10 FT
This was the game that was shown above with Topic. It was a 30 point blowout in favor of Red Star, but Đurišić was playing really well too. He was the only player on the team that was really going offensively. He was a -32 which isn’t impressive, but it's hard to argue when you are so outclassed.
Juan Nuñez/Ratiopharm Ulm
Credit IMAGO/HMB-Media-Scanpix
Juan Nuñez is a Point Guard out of Spain that has been playing in Germany. He’s most known for his highlight passes and great feel for the game. He’s got some limitations that will limit his upside, but he’s still a really interesting prospect.
Personal Opinion
He’s tough because he’s so fun to watch. The problem is the complete lack of a jump shot and defense is a big back breaker. I honestly feel like he could be one of the best players in Europe, but I feel like the NBA is tough. I think he’ll be in the NBA at some point, and there is value in knowing what the heck you are doing on the court, but to what extent? Is he a worse version of Tre Jones? It’s hard to tell. That being said. His steal rate is super high, and that’s a big indicator of future success in the NBA. He also has a good rebound rate which is another good indicator. If he shot even 10% better from the FT line, he’d probably be a consensus first round pick.
Fantasy
The appeal with him is the assists and steals. I doubt Juan would be a high steal guy in the NBA, but the assists are going to be there. The efficiency might be subpar but it shouldn’t kill you. Unless you are in a league with real stash ability, I’d let someone else take Juan.
If Juan fails in the league, Why?
His lack of a jumpshot holds him back and he gets played off the court due to his bad defense. He ends up on a good team with decent PG play and he doesn’t play.
I would have liked to put Milos and Carlos on here but they aren’t on Tankathon. I went on Barrtorvik and found some guys with a similar stat skill set, and Elfrid Payton was easily the best player out of that list. These are the other two that played in college. But you can see here, it’s not that good for PG’s that can’t shoot. Nuñez feels like the next Elfrid Payton and Elfrid Payton isn’t in the league because he can’t shoot.
Big Performance Highlights
17 Pts, 4 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 To, 7-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-3 FT
Juan did all of this in 24 minutes of play, and to put up a double double in that time is pretty impressive. This was a big reason why Ratiopharm won this game by 12 points. This team wasn’t a slouch either, with players like Matt Thomas, Sterling Brown, and draft and stash Matteo Spagnolo (2022) on the team. Juan was a +13 in this one.
20 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 To, 5 Fouls, 7-12 FG, 4-5 3PT, 2-2 FT
Juan caught fire from 3 in this game which led to 20 points. If it weren’t for that, this would have been a pretty average performance. The points were needed as Ratiopharm only won this game by 12 points. Being a +20 in this game is certainly something too.
Ulrich Chomche/NBA Academy Africa
Photo via The Big Tip-Off
To wrap it up, we have the “Man of Mystery” for the 2024 NBA Draft. Chomche has been playing in the NBA Academy Africa and got to showcase his abilities in 3 games where he was super dominant. He went to Nike Hoop Summit and struggled a lot more against his talented peers who are projected top picks in the draft next season. He’s barely eligible for 2024 because his birthday is December 30th. He might be in this draft, he might not be. However, there’s a lot of intrigue.
Personal Opinion
In those games, he looks amazing. He just looks very raw. If that doesn’t change pretty quickly, he could be someone who could be sliding down mock drafts early in the cycle next season. Or he could be flashing a ton and be a potential top 10 pick next season. I lean a lot more towards the former. He’s going to spend quite a bit of time in the G League and while that’s not necessarily bad, I’d prefer to see him in college first and get a better evaluation. We saw James Wiseman get drafted #2 overall after 3 games at Memphis. If Wiseman had continued to play, his flaws would have been on more display and he would have fallen down draft boards. I’m very sure about that. Chomche isn’t receiving that level of buzz, but he wasn’t the prospect Wiseman was. If Chomche gets a long-term contract, then stay in the draft. If not, take the NIL money and go play at a high major.
Fantasy
Frankly it's hard to take out much from this. Hard to say what his fantasy ceiling is with a 3 game sample. He could be a fantasy monster but he might not be ready enough to play. His stock is very fluid and his draft spot and team will determine a lot of his stock.
If Ulrich fails in the league, Why?
He’s too raw and not good enough defensively to get minutes. He wastes his time away on the bench and not getting reps. He falls out of favor and never reaches his potential.
There’s not even much point in going into comparisons and looking at game logs with him because of how small the sample is and the level of competition played. There’s so much in the air with him.
Final Thoughts
Nikola Topic is a big Point Guard that blew up for Mega this season. He switched teams mid-season and played a lot more off the ball. He got hurt and is now with a partially torn ACL. It will impact his draft stock, but to what extent? The medicals are going to be so key and he’s already a pretty big bet with a really low sample size of him on both teams. I currently have Nikola Topic at 9 on my big board and I feel pretty good about him there at this point. In the recent Dizzle Dynasty Mock, Nikola Topic went 8th to the San Antonio Spurs.
Nikola Đurišić is a big ball handler that can attack the paint. He has good size and handles which help his appeal. He came on real late in the cycle after getting used to life with no Nikola Topic. He has real question marks defensively which leaves us with doubts. I currently have Nikola Đurišić at 47 on my board. In the recent Dizzle Dynasty Mock, Nikola Đurišić went 47th to the Orlando Magic.
Juan Nuñez is a Spanish PG that knows what he’s doing on the court. He has some of the best highlight passes in the draft and is super flashy. The questions with him rely on the defensive end and his shooting. Given these limitations, it's pretty likely that he has a low ceiling in the NBA but could still be valuable. I have Juan Nuñez at 54 on my big board. In the recent Dizzle Dynasty Mock, Juan Nuñez went 54th to the Boston Celtics.
Ulrich Chomche is one of the biggest swings for the fences in this draft. He has good touch, can block shots, and if he hits, be one of the best centers in the NBA. The problem is he’s so far away and so raw that is going to take a lot of time. How many teams are willing to bet on that right now? Not a lot. I currently have Ulrich Chomche at 57 on my big board. He’s just not my cup of tea right now. I could change my mind later but I just don’t really value him at the moment. In the recent Dizzle DynastyMock, Ulrich Chomche went 26th to the Washington Wizards.