Together with his workforce one win away from a championship, Thunder 2024 lottery choose Nikola Subject has been a forgotten man. He missed the complete season after present process surgical procedure to restore a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee final July.
Nevertheless, Subject might return to motion as quickly as subsequent month throughout the Las Vegas Summer time League, in line with Jordan Davis of The Oklahoman.
“When it comes to what he’s doing proper now, he’s nonetheless X period of time post-op,” coach Mark Daigneault stated. “He’s nonetheless return-to-performance. I don’t suppose he’s the participant proper now that he will probably be in coaching camp. The factor that’s most spectacular about him to see is he’s extremely younger, he’s stateside for the primary time, within the NBA for the primary time, coming off a long-term damage and he’s been unbelievably constant and mature {and professional} in his method. Whenever you watch any person undergo that, you may study so much about them.”
Phrase initially broke weeks earlier than the draft that Subject had suffered {a partially} torn ACL, so the Thunder weren’t caught off guard by the necessity for surgical procedure after they drafted the Serbian level guard with the No. 12 total choose.
Subject, 19, is predicted to compete for backup minutes subsequent season. He has a assured wage of $5.2MM in ’25/26, adopted by workforce choices of $5.4MM and $7.5MM in his third and fourth seasons.
The group is happy how he attacked his rehab.
“Inserted himself into the combination in a really applicable approach,” Daigneault stated. “The fellows actually respect the way in which that he approaches issues. He’s an previous soul. He’s approach past his years and in order that bodes very well for him, regardless the place he begins as a participant on the courtroom. That stuff interprets, and he’s been very spectacular with that.”
Subject́ averaged 15.1 factors, 3.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists and a steal in 18 video games with the Adriatic League’s Crvena Zvezda membership throughout the 2023/24 season.
