Nikola Topic Gets First Career Start After Beating Cancer — 14/11/4

Nikola Topic's journey to his first NBA start reads like a movie script that would get rejected for being too dramatic. ACL tear before the draft. Testicular cancer diagnosis. Chemotherapy. G-League rehab. A standing ovation in his NBA debut in February. And now, on Friday night against the Nuggets, his first career start.

The 20-year-old Serbian point guard made it count: 14 points on efficient 6-of-12 shooting (2-of-3 from three), 11 assists, and 4 steals. A double-double with near-elite efficiency in his first start. The Thunder lost to Denver, but nobody in Oklahoma City cared about the final score.

Topic went from a hospital bed to an NBA starting lineup in under six months. He's the 12th pick in a loaded Thunder roster that already clinched the league's best record. The fact that OKC has this kind of talent waiting in the wings — a lottery pick who just beat cancer and immediately produced — is terrifying for the rest of the West. This kid's story is just getting started.